A&E

Get your zombie on

by Anna Purdy

At 11 p.m. tonight in San Souci the undead are gathering for a Zombie Walk.

At 11 p.m. tonight in Sans Souci the undead are gathering for Zombiewalk 2011.

Dozens are expected to meet up in downtown Lafayette and walk peacefully, encouraging the alive people to not fear the undead population.

"You never know who could be undead," says a source wishing to remain anonymous. "So much misunderstanding and prejudice still exists against the undead. We prefer the term 'undead' to 'zombies' because of the negative association with certain movies and of course the historically horrible way zombies were used in the Caribbean as a labor force."

This undead source lives and works in downtown Lafayette yet feels the need to keep his undead state under wraps due to neighbors' and coworkers' reactions. "How would they feel if they knew this guy in the office next to them, or the guy who helped on Lafayette's Save the Horse Farm campaign had no heartbeat? That when I decorate my house for Halloween it isn't ironic? I buy everyone's kids' Girl Scout cookies for god's sake - and I obviously don't eat them!"

But not everyone is happy with this movement. "We plan on being prepared," says Christopher Slim. Slim is by day a musician with The Howdies but at night is a member of Z.A.P.T. Its mission statement reads:

Z.A.P.T. (Zombie Attack Preparedness Team) and its internal squad S.T.U.D. (Specialized Tactical Undead Disposal) was formed in 2005 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Z.A.P.T. is a team of people who prepare and train to SURVIVE a zombie apocalypse. Z.A.P.T. and S.T.U.D. are NOT zombie hunters or a zombie elimination service.

It is the belief of Z.A.P.T. that the occurance of the dead returning to life and devouring the living would be a global threat of unparalleled proportions, and by training for this scenario will adequately prepare them for almost any other natural or man-made disaster. Z.A.P.T. is NOT a militia.

It is believed that Z.A.P.T. may be patrolling tonight's Zombiewalk event to protect Acadiana's residents. "If even one zombie begins to look brain-hungry, we'll be mobilized," says Slim.

While May is officially Zombie Awareness Month it is believed that the walk happens on Halloween because, if you are undead or a monster or a vampire, Halloween is kinda of like your Christmas. It is also when the non-living and non-human can walk around undetected as all of the revelry of masquerade protects their identities. Many zombiewalks are planned around the country and world tonight.

If you are a member of the undead, or are a supporter of the undead and want to dress up like one and have fun tonight, Sans Souci is in downtown Lafayette. Remember that whether living or dead, the "to-go" cup ban is in effect as Downtown Alive! won't be going on.

"We just want to live in peace," continues our source, "to take an evening stroll and show the world that, yes, we eat brains...but if you are what you eat then that means we're people, too."