The UW is once again infected by the undead.

Today at 6 a.m., the third Human vs. Zombie Tag (HvZT) began swarming over campus, drawing a record 605 bloodthirsty participants.

“The goal for humans is to make it through the week and survive; the goal of zombies is to stop them,” said UW sophomore Robert Tomlinson, an HvZT overseer. “It’s very social. You have to work together all the time.”

Two students begin the game as zombies, donning bright orange bandanas on their heads, while the remainder of the participants, as humans, wear bandanas around their arms. The game runs Monday through Friday, working essentially as a massive game of tag, each side armed with Nerf guns. If a human is shot, they join the zombie horde the following day and must hunt down members of their former race.

Dorms, academic buildings and stores are safe zones. Various missions enhance the game, offering incentives like antidotes to aid in human survival for those who succeed.

Tomlinson founded the RSO with fellow UW sophomore Andy Fulton last fall after watching videos of students playing at Maryland’s Goucher College. The first infestation, in winter ’09, drew 150 participants — and that number shot up to about 312 in spring quarter, Tomlinson estimated. This time, the overseers had to turn people away when they ran out of bandanas, leaving a couple of guys in tears.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Tomlinson said. “You’re going to class and you run into zombies, and you have to run away or defend yourself. It’s a lot of excitement running from class to class.”

Some participants swap thrilling chase stories with their friends as the human resistance shrinks. UW sophomore Zach Tobin thought he could sneak out to his dorm from the back of 8 at McMahon last year, but his escape plan was foiled by two zombies.

“As I was walking out, I saw these two girls two feet in front of me,” Tobin recalled with a chuckle. “I had a second to go, ‘Oh, no, I’m done.’ They both reached out and grabbed me before I could get away.”

Because the UWPD are aware of HvZT, there have been no security problems. So far, the sole complaint was logged during the previous round, when a professor was frustrated by noisy students in a classroom.

Though the primary goal of HvZT is entertainment, Tobin emphasized that different aspects of the game draw different people.

“Some people think it’s fun to buy cool toys,” he said. “I never really wanted to grow up and stop playing with my Nerf gun, so it’s a good excuse to whip those out. For others, it’s a great way to meet people, especially if you’re a freshman.”

Of course, Tobin said, it also attracts people who just really love zombies.

Tomlinson said they hope to recruit 1,000 participants by the next game. Yet, even those who aren’t playing smile at the elaborate pursuits coursing through campus, and the overseers are confident HvZT will remain a UW staple long after they graduate.

“I’ve been blown away by how much people enjoy watching the game,” Fulton said. “I’m just proud to be able to put on something like this that’s been so well received. It’s good that we’re developing a community within the larger community [of] the UW where, once a quarter, people will be able to play this game.”

Reach Lifestyles Editor Rachel Solomon at news@dailyuw.com.