Ran Ran from Durand

CS106B Fall 23-24 | Cumulative

In the heart of Stanford's campus, the iconic Durand building stands as a familiar labyrinth of hallways and rooms, where 106A and 106B students find themselves debugging code into the night. It's just past 9 PM, and you and your fellow students - scattered across various areas on the 3rd floor - are working late on sorting linked lists.

The usual buzz of LaIR abruptly gives way to an eerie silence. The motion-sensor lights start to flicker, then fail, plunging the rooms and hallways into darkness. Just a few seconds later, the elevators also power down. Something feels amiss. Then you hear it: a low, guttural growl echoing from the direction of Room 353. As you peer in, you see your beloved section leaders, but they’re not as you remember them. Their eyes, glazed over, glow with an unnatural hue. They limp with a determined, eerie pace, muttering about minus-minuses and assignment deadlines. Being caught by them can’t bode well for your next assignment grade.

You must navigate through Durand’s dark hallways, evade the zombie section leaders, and escape the building to preserve your check-plus. Beware: these zombies are not aimlessly wandering. They are mimicking their section leader habits, patrolling areas where students are known to work, and reacting to the faintest sounds of keystrokes and whispers.

As you strategize with some nearby students, you can’t help but wonder if there’s more to this night than just escaping. Is there a way to neutralize the section leaders and reverse their transformation? Could there be a hidden cause behind this mysterious occurrence within the walls of Durand? These thoughts converge as the sound of dragging footsteps draws nearer - a stark reminder that your goal is to get out, and fast.