Week forty-four

I was talking to a friend the other day who was contemplating what to do on Halloween. He said it was more like deciding on New Year's Eve this year, there were so many options. I had a look myself and couldn't believe how right he was. Halloween has always been an excuse for a fun night out here and a reason to get dressed up but never obsessively. Yet, somehow this year, I've seen the streets of London resembling a suburban American neighbourhood, complete with cobwebs strewn on balconies, bats hanging from trees and skeletons in the windows. Its no good just having a lonesome pumpkin sitting on the porch anymore.

The same goes with the way you choose to celebrate this spooky night - you can't just throw a fancy dress party in your bar and hope for strength in numbers - people want bigger, better, scarier and more importantly, something a little different. When an email from a friend popped into my inbox with the subject line "Zombie Chase", I was immediately intrigued. The game is called "2.8 Hours Later" and is a mad chase across London, running away from zombies and ends with a zombie disco. It sounded amazing.

So, my friend Nicole and I signed up straight away and were told only days before, the location we had to go to to begin the game.   Friday night we rocked up and I was loving the Shaun of the Dead homages: mentions of the Winchester Pub and headbands a plenty.  Plus,  several people in hospital gowns resembling the cult hero from the game's own homage, the film, 28 Days Later.  I personally loved the two ninjas that Nicole and I found ourselves next to.

We were split into groups of about 6 and each given a map with grid references and told to find other lone survivors of the zombie apocalypse, who could give us clues to the various pockets of safety en route to Resistance HQ. The only problem; avoiding the blood-thirsty zombies whose only mission was to infect everyone they touch. As we waited for our group to be called, we soon realised I was the only one that was any good at reading a map.  So much for the stupid ninjas.

Anyway, no sooner had we set off, that we bumped into a pale-eyed, panic-stricken young girl with sallow skin who gave us our first clue.  As we made our way down the street we were all huddling together a bit, on high alert but it was all a bit feigned and comical to begin with.  Until, however, crouched down between 2 cars, we saw something blood-riddled in hospital scrubs jumping up, did we suddenly peg it down the road.  Oh my, the adrenaline kicked in almost immediately and we were sprinting for our lives.  Utterly brilliant.  For me, the game had now officially begun.

Our first safe house was on a corner of a dark alley in London Bridge.  We were met by an anxious man who was keen to keep us from going inside the shop on the corner.  Probably because there was a girl throwing up blood and clearly "turning" to the dark side.

Making our way to the next grid reference was fraught with peril.  At least 3 zombies were trying to corner us as we came down the street.  There was no way any of us were going down so early so we did some clever detouring round the back and and ended up at an NCP carpark.  All we could hear was lots of moaning, stomping of feet and general madness coming from all levels.  We passed quite a few of the other groups who had just come down from the carpark and they were all completely drenched in sweat. Shit. 

We were told to take the stairs to the 9th floor and then the ramps the rest of the way.  The enclosed stairs clearly seemed like a bad idea so we kept ourselves spread out going up the ramps.   At first it was ok, the screams, although loud, seemed far away as we crept up each floor, but then a door opened on   level 3 and the now familiar site of green scrubs and blood came hurtling towards us.  We fled and it was all ok, until severals groups came careering towards us from the other side and we were soon surrounded.  My group all started climbing up the floors in between levels but since I had a big bag and camera I opted to go the other way.  Rookie mistake and of course, fatal error.  A lone zombie spotted me.  I could do nothing but turn back and try and clamber up mid-level.  I almost got away with it as well but she clipped me on the toe just as I was trying to scuttle away.  With a very evil grin on her face she marked my hand so I would later find out my fate at Resistance HQ.

Since I'd lost everyone I dejectedly made my down and out of the carpark and waited for my group, hoping they'd made it to the safe house to be given the next clue.  I needn't have worried, they came out dripping with sweat and armed with the next grid reference, which of course, I had to lead them to.  

            

There was no drama for a while at this point, which was actually a little off-putting, as we were creeping around so anxiously waiting for something to happen.   Of course, it was to change fairly imminently as we made our way into a dank, smelly, soulless tunnel somewhere around Borough.  We came face to face with the butcher who told us a tale of despair and warned us of the dangers outside.  To get out of the tunnel we had to grapple with 2 zombies.  My strategy was simple: sprint and scream.

The next stages of the game involved us encountering a mad vicar chained to a church gate.  Then we were sent into a boarded up and disordered pub, where a lone zombie emerged from the dark and we piled out like crazed cattle.  Then, after meeting with a perverted and homeless drunk, we had to get past 4 zombie "hens" who were throwing up in the street.

Finally, we were sent to the "professor", the one who could help us reach resistance HQ.  However, he was surrounded by a sea of zombies.  He had created a cure, some sort of repellent that kept the evil and dead-eyed maniacs at bay, just long enough to huddle in around him and find out the final location to get to.  Suddenly the professor had vanished and we were left unprotected.  

The final dash was insane but somehow I managed to get through.  Nicole fell at the final hurdle.  No matter, we made it safely to resistance HQ and since we had been infected, we got made up for the occasion - the zombie disco.

The whole thing was just awesome.  It was well prepared, incredibly executed and heart-thumpingly good fun.  Its organised by game developer and consultancy Slingshot, who have taken 2.8 Hours Later to Bristol, Leeds and London.  Hopefully more games are to come, which you should definitely get involved in.  Check the details here.

Next week I'm going to the newest secret supper club slash pop-up restaurant; The White Tower.