An astute ABC7 viewer, while out for a morning bike ride on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail near the Capital Beltway, may have stumbled upon the worst fears of one subset of American culture.

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Or, at least, a warning for it.

Steve Belling was riding his bike along the trail when he encountered a road work sign with which someone seemed to have a little fun with.

It's not the first instance of people messing with signs in the D.C. area in recent memory. The overhead signs on local freeways that alert drivers to upcoming hazards are also the target of occasional pranks.

All joking aside, the Virginia Department of Transportation takes the matter extremely seriously. A spokesman said that somehow, someone got into the control box. He called it an act of vandalism that could cause havoc and endanger strangers.

VDOT has since changed the sign back, retiring the legend of the undead. At least for now.

But, if you're on the trail today and, in fact, encounter a zombie (or anything else worthy of a photo), you can send it to us like Steve did at iwitness@wjla.com.