It was just as the robotic bartender placed my Winterberry Margarita in front of me that I heard the sound of male shrieks. Three or four lads, squealing in terror.

A wall separated us, but I didn't need to see them to know exactly what was going on. Their choice of profanity alone gave it away.

They were playing Deadwood Phobia, Sandbox Virtual Reality Birmingham's brand-spanking-new zombie game. "We get a lot of screams with this one," our host at the Grand Central experience told me and my two pals.

READ MORE: I was a Birmingham bus driver for 50 years and two things have made the roads much worse

"It's also quite jumpy," he added, just moments after we signed a waiver which, I'll be honest, I did not read fully. Is it possible I signed my entire life away? Unlikely, but, it's possible.

I stirred in my maggie in a vain........

© Birmingham Mail