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10 Clues That The Zombie Outbreak Being Announced On Your Television Is Not A Hoax

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As reported on Tuesday's Morning Edition, KRTV in Great Falls, Mont., was apparently the victim of hackers who broke in and broadcast a warning of attacking zombies. The station now says that it was a hoax, fortunately.

But in the future, how can a viewer at home identify a similar alert that really requires immediate action to avoid a very real zombie horde? We have gathered 10 possible signs that the next zombie warning that beeps across your television is all too real.

1. You turn on Fox at 8 on a Wednesday night and hear Ryan Seacrest say, "THIS! Is MRRRRRRNNGGGRRRRNNNGGG."

2. Local news running reports of people cleaning grocery stores out of bread, milk, eggs, and cadaver repellant.

3. At Starbucks, barista holds up a paper cup, reads what's written on it, and says, "Soy latte for 'GAAAAAH'? Soy latte? 'GAAAAAAH'?"

4. Local Yelp reviews consistently knocking off two stars for "oversalted frontal lobe."

5. Slack-faced neighbor doesn't respond to your friendly morning greeting; wanders down middle of street with arms extended, despite meticulously maintained sidewalk.

6. Your cable guide suddenly lists The Walking Dead as "a whimsical documentary."

7. "#zombiezombiezombiesendhelp" starts trending.

8. Reports from New York Fashion Week describe surprising uptick in "tattered dirty pants stained with cerebrospinal fluid for spring."

9. Three colleagues report seeing different "Thriller video flashmobs" on the way to work.

10. Charity event mysteriously rebranded "5K Fun Slump."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.