I haven’t really run for years, but I started earlier this
summer, months before the zombies came. I remember a conversation with my wife
when I said I wished someone would develop an app for the iPhone that had
zombies chase you around, something that would give your running a
purpose. Well, about two weeks ago
I found one. It’s called “Zombies, run!,” and it’s far more immersive than I
imagined. It’s mostly audio – a sequence of well voice-acted story segments (all
in the form of radio communications from the base) interspersed with songs from
your playlist. At any point during the music you might pick up some useful bit
of salvage or be chased by zombies, at which point you have to speed up
considerably for about a minute or get caught. Freeky.
[Minor Spoilers] On my latest mission, the gates to Abel Township got stuck
open, so Runner 8 and I had to go out with noisemakers to draw zombies away. It was in the morning, when the packs of sleepy,
droop-shouldered high school kids standing at the street corners waiting for
the bus could easily be mistaken for the undead. I worried about Runner 8 because she had a nasty cough. As
I wondered if she was going to be able to stay ahead of the zombies, my
playlist kicked off with “If One
of Us Should Fall,” by The Slip. In the next segment of the story, it seemed like
Runner 8 was losing it, whipping out a pistol and almost daring the zombies to
chase us. My playlist continued with “Killer Queen."
Now I run as often as my aching legs and knees will allow.
I feel guilty when I don’t run, not because I’m not getting exercise, but
because the people of Abel need me. Right now there’s a little girl lost outside
the compound, waiting for me to rescue her. What am I doing mowing the lawn, blogging and
watching TV!
Zombies, Run! Is available on iPhone, Android and iPod
Touch.
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| After the run: Allocating the items I salvaged to the different areas of Abel Township. |
