For years, the beast lurked, forgotten by its owner and waiting in silence. As it slumbered, the ivy grew to cover it, leaving only a mysterious and foreboding hump of thorn-encrusted vines where there should have been none. The locals dubbed it a “zombie,” and finally the police were called in, bravely chopping away the thorny vines to reveal…a little blue van.
The “jiangshi che,” or “zombie car,” in question sat in a Beijing parking lot for three years, gradually being absorbed by the local flora, before exasperated neighbors finally had the police come and deal with it. News of the “zombie car” hit the Internet just in time for Halloween, and the mysterious vehicle became a minor internet sensation, according to NBC News.com. Chinese social media came alive with speculation as to the car’s possible origins.
The vines engulfing the car were so thick and resistant to easy cutting that the police decided to tow it as it sat, resulting in a very strange sight as what appeared to be a bush took to the freeway on the back of a tow truck.
Investigation of the vehicle required some serious landscaping just to unveil the license plate. The original owner was eventually found, but it turns out he sold the car three years ago and could not remember the buyer.
So who was the car really sold to? Will we ever find out? Will the mysterious owner haunt the neighborhood, looking for his creepy wheels? Perhaps that’s a story best saved for a campfire on a chilly October night.
