“What do we have, Sergeant?” Bretz asked.
Murphy tilted his head. “We have moderate resistance, just from what I can see,” he replied. “I doubt we’re lucky enough to have all of them to one side.”
“Based on my experience, none of us are that lucky,” the Corporal replied dryly.
The Sergeant pulled out a close-up satellite image printout of the shopping center, with two areas circled. One was on the main building on the far side, and the other on a shorter building closer to them.
“You need six trucks, right?” he asked.
Bretz nodded. “That’s right.”
“We got two target buildings here,” Murphy explained, pointing to the circles, “neither of which are going to be easy runs if we’re facing heavy resistance. I think in order to buy you the time you need, we’re going to have to clear this lot and set up a firing line to the north in case we attract some visitors.”
Bretz nodded. “If the keys are in the loading dock offices,” he said, “it shouldn’t take us more than ten minutes to get loaded up and head out.”
“And if they’re not?” the Sergeant asked, cocking his head.
The Corporal wrinkled his nose. “Could be thirty minutes or more.”
“No matter how much time you need, we’re gonna get it for you,” Murphy said firmly, and let out a soft whistle, pointing to some men close by.
Four soldiers rushed over and took a knee in front of him.
“We gotta buy the Corporal here some time,” the Sergeant explained. “Need two of you on each of the main buildings. Get up there, give us the lay of the land, then start picking them off. You got it?”
All four men made emphatic noises in the affirmative.
“Good,” Murphy said, “get going.”
The four men took off quickly down the road, moving faster than a jog. The Sergeant reached into his bag and pulled out a second set of binoculars, handing them to Bretz.
The Corporal took them with a brow furrowed. “You carry two sets of these?” he asked.
“My orders said I had to escort some VIPS,” Murphy replied with a little shrug. “Just wanted to make sure I didn’t disappoint.”
Bretz smiled and nodded, then lifted the binoculars so he could watch the foursome approach the shopping center. When the boys got close, the teams broke off into groups of two, focusing on their targets. The duo to the left, heading towards the smaller building, took cover behind a few cars parked on the side of the building.
There were some zombies wandering about on the other side of the vehicles, looking around suspiciously at the noise of the footsteps. The Corporal watched the two men draw knives, readying to strike. One of them picked up a rock and heaved it over the enemy’s head, and it smacked into the side of the wall.
“Smart move,” Bretz murmured as the soldiers leapt over the hood of the car, dispatching the distracted zombies from behind with ease.
As soon as the duo disappeared behind the store, panicked gunfire erupted from the other side.
“What are those chucklefucks doing?” Murphy snapped, and they frantically searched for the other pair of soldiers.
Bretz finally found them as the gunfire grew more intense. “Got ‘em, halfway down the building.”
A horde of zombies swarmed around a spot on the ground, presumably where one of the men had been standing. One of the creatures’ heads exploded, and then the gunfire went silent. Bretz’ mouth went dry, and he scanned for the other soldier, finally spotting him climbing up onto a dumpster and collapsing on top of it.
It was clear that the soldier was clutching a wound on his neck. Bretz quickly pocketed the binoculars and readied his rifle.
“Sergeant, we have to move now,” he said. “We’re about to have at least to runners.”
Murphy nodded, the implications not lost on him. Runners were much harder to deal with, and given that they were already shorthanded, they’d need to be dealt with fast.
“You’re staying put, Corporal,” he said firmly. “My orders are to deliver you safely, and I intend on doing just that.” He motioned to six nearby soldiers, waving them forward. “Main building, eliminate all targets with extreme prejudice. Including our injured.”
One of the soldiers’ eyes widened. “Sir?”
“Did I fucking stutter?” the Sergeant demanded. “Those are the orders from the top. Quick death for those who are bitten. And when it’s clear, two of you get topside for diversions. Now move out!”
The group of six sprinted towards the dead and injured, guns raised and ready for action. As they made the turn on the back of the building, Bretz and Murphy watched through the binoculars as they formed a firing line.
The soldiers fired quickly, striking down several zombies in short order. They mowed down the remaining ghouls and then hesitated.
“Follow your damn orders,” the Sergeant muttered.
“They will,” Bretz assured him. “It’s not easy, what’s being asked of them.”
Murphy’s brow furrowed, and he lowered his binoculars. “You’ve been in their shoes, I take it?” he asked.
The Corporal shook his head. “Not pre-turn, but shortly after,” he replied. “Even with my life in danger, it took longer than I would care to admit.”
Several quick shots rang out, and they looked to see the job was done.
“Hope they’ve squirreled away some shrinks,” Murphy said, “because a lot of us are gonna need some time on the couch when this is through.”
Bretz shrugged. “Well, we are invading Seattle,” he pointed out, “maybe Frasier Crane survived.”
“One can only hope,” the Sergeant replied with a dark chuckle.
They watched two of the men climb up onto the roof and scanned the other four coming back to the formation. They looked at the other building and spotted one of the men waving at them, prompting Murphy to pull out his walkie-talkie.
“What you got for me, soldier?” the Sergeant asked.
“Sarge...” the soldier’s voice came back hesitantly, “I don’t know how we’re handling this.”
Murphy sighed.
