A dozen of the undead, decked out in torn clothing and smeared with fake blood, are lurching down Center Street toward Saturday's community pancake breakfast -- the first stop on what is supposed to be a terrifying day-long zombie walk.

But instead of terrorizing the townsfolk, the zombies seem to be amusing them.

"Hi everybody," an older woman tells the zombie marchers as they shuffle past her. "You guys are great."

This is not what I expected.

I'd first heard of the Casper Zombie Walk from a co-worker, who discovered the event through the online social networking site MySpace.

Zombie walks happen when a group of people, anywhere from a handful to hundreds, dress up like the undead, quietly meet up at a certain location, then burst forth, walking through town groaning and growling, aiming for a little social disruption and a few laughs.

The walks have been held in cities in the United States, Canada and Europe. Casper's inaugural zombie event took place Saturday, and I decided to dress up and tag along.

The Casper zombies, a mix of men and women mostly in their 20s, met in the Parkway Plaza Hotel parking lot at about 8:30 a.m. One marcher is pregnant with twins and two others, Mike Bunton and his girlfriend, Stephanie Frank, have brought along their 9-month-old daughter, Abby.

For man-eating undead, Bunton and Frank seem surprisingly pleasant. Frank even tells me that she consulted her pediatrician before making baby Abby into a zombie, complete with makeup and fake blood.

As I smeared the mixture of corn syrup, chocolate sauce and red food coloring across my face and clothes, I braced myself for a mixture of shock, rejection and outrage from the Casper townsfolk. We're greeted instead with ambivalence, amusement and, on occasion, admiration.

Near the Federal Courthouse, a man riding by on a bicycle smiles and waves as he passes by. Farther up the road, another man, who's waiting for the Shrine Bowl Parade to start, stops the zombies in order to take their picture.

The zombie marchers seem to be aware that they aren't terrorizing a whole lot of people. Up to this point, their commitment to the zombie character -- growling for brains while dragging a leg -- has been lukewarm at best. As cars pass, they begin to groan more and raise their arms in the classic, "Night of the Living Dead" pose.

A few people stare back suspiciously, but most seem uninterested or amused.

"They are not starting any trouble," said Chris Sears, a zombie who's wearing six earrings in his left ear and a Bluetooth device in his right. "They are just like, 'Hey look.'"

A few people do seem genuinely disturbed by the group. One woman grabs her child and ducks into a Center Street business as we approach.

When we reach City Park, the zombies get in line at the Casper Kiwanis Club's pancake breakfast. There are a few suspicious stares, but for the most part, people are friendly and amused with the undead in their midst.

"This is awesome," Rusty Ward, who's helping out with the breakfast, tells me as the zombies wait patiently for pancakes.

Behind him, a pipe organ plays and men in clown makeup are preparing for the parade. Others are wearing Fezzes, and two guys are dressed like American Indians. In this atmosphere, the zombies don't seem much out of place.

Reach Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@casperstartribune.net.