Zombie Run for the Win

Maya regretted everything the moment she saw the registration table. A charity 5K where volunteers dressed as zombies chased runners? What was she thinking?

"You got this, Maya!" Chloe yelled, already decked out in fake blood and torn clothes. Because of course Chloe would volunteer as a zombie. Maya's best friend lived for this stuff.

Maya adjusted her neon-yellow bib, feeling ridiculous. She'd only signed up because Tyler said he might be there. Now, watching the crowd of painted faces and groaning "undead," she questioned her entire life choices.

The horn blew. Maya started running, or more like awkwardly jogging while people in zombie makeup shambled after them, moaning dramatically. It was equal parts terrifying and hilarious.

Then she saw him—Tyler, near the water station, looking way too good in his athletic shorts. Maya's brain short-circuited.

Suddenly, a zombie lunged at her from behind a tree. Maya shrieked and veered left—straight into the water station. Her foot caught on a case of water bottles, sending her sprawling.

Everything went slow motion. Water bottles exploded everywhere like some dramatic movie scene. Maya landed in a puddle of sports drink while zombies groaned and runners dodged the chaos.

She wanted to disappear. Literally become invisible. This was it—her social life, over.

Then Tyler was there, extending a hand. "That was epic."

Maya blinked. "Epic? I just face-planted into Gatorade."

"Yeah, but the way you took out that zombie?" Tyler gestured to Chloe, who was also on the ground, laughing hysterically. "That zombie attack was totally thwarted. You're basically a hero."

Maya let him pull her up, her face burning. Tyler was grinning, and okay—maybe this wasn't a complete disaster.

"Want to finish together?" he asked. "I'll protect you from the undead."

"Running from zombies together," Maya said, feeling surprisingly okay with her neon-bib-covered, sticky existence. "Sounds like a date."