The two men stepped up and immediately opened fire, sending single placed rounds downrange, dropping zombies one after the other.
“There’s too many of them!” one of the soldiers cried.
Bretz shook his head. There were too many of them, and they were moving too quickly. As the other three men continued firing, he spotted a rolling full-sized dumpster about ten yards away, right in the middle of the no man’s land between the zombies and the soldiers.
Without hesitation, he broke from the line, sprinting for the dumpster. It took Baker a moment to realize what was going on, and then he broke rank and joined him.
“Come the fuck on!” he yelled over his shoulder, and the other two tore after him. The trio helped Bretz move the large metal dumpster into the center of the alleyway, covering about a quarter of the area.
“Give me a boost!” the Corporal barked, and Baker linked his fingers together to make a step out of his hands. He propelled Bretz up on top of the canister, and the Corporal immediately opened fire, flipping into three-round burst mode and unloading on the enemy. The other three men set up on the sides of the trash can, opening fire as well.
The center of the zombie mass pressed up against the canister, moving it slightly back. Bretz widened his stance to keep his balance, still firing mostly at the zombies on the fringes, making sure they didn’t make it around the barricade.
Once the threat of zombies making it around was gone, he focused on the creatures at his feet, making short work of them.
When the soldiers stopped firing, the gunfire coming from the main line was intensifying, with a lot of panic fire. Bretz hopped down and then opened the lid of the dumpster, finding it mostly empty. He contemplated for a few moments and then glanced at Baker.
“What do you say buddy,” he said, tilting his head, “you want to go for a ride?”
Baker’s brow furrowed in confusion before his eyes widened at the insinuation. He laughed and then shook his head. “Okay, but this is your one creative maneuver for this entire mission,” he said playfully.
Bretz chuckled. “Fair enough, now hop in.”
The two of them hopped into the dumpster, and the two other soldiers stared at them blankly.
“What…” one of them trailed off. “What are you doing?”
Bretz pointed at them. “You two are going to push us through the firing line,” he said. “Get us as far out into the parking lot as you can.”
The soldiers glanced at each other nervously.
“Do it now, that’s an order,” Bretz demanded, and when they still hesitated, he slammed his fist down on the edge of the dumpster. “Do it now, before their position is overrun!”
The two soldiers snapped out of their doubt and immediately began pushing the trash can. Baker knelt down, pulling the lid over himself. Bretz remained standing, holding up his side. As they grew closer, the Corporal yelled and fired twice into the crowd of zombies ahead, which were now within ten yards of the firing line.
Murphy whirled around and spotted the rolling force headed their way. “Clear the path!” he bellowed, and grabbed a few of his comrades to pull them out of the way.
The soldiers scrambled to make a hole for the dumpster to fit through, and Bretz lowered his lid, taking a knee. The duo pushing them gave a great heave as they pushed just past the line, stopping just a few yards shy of the front edge of the horde before retreating.
The heavy metal container rolled fast, slamming into zombies and knocking several of them down and out of the way. As soon as their momentum stopped, about five yards into the horde, Baker and Bretz popped up, throwing open their lids.
They took aim and opened fire in three-round bursts, sweeping the front line of zombies quickly at point blank range, spraying blood and rotted skull fragments everywhere. They pinned themselves at the back of the dumpster, using the lids as cover since the metal had landed on top of zombies, preventing them from being able to reach up and grab the soldiers.
They switched to single fire, taking deliberate aim and clearing out monsters one by one. Murphy nodded as the bulk of the zombies that had been headed towards them turned their attention towards Bretz and Baker, giving the firing line a little bit of breathing room. Several of the men stared, mouths agape, amazed at the sight.
“What are you waiting on them for?” the Sergeant barked. “Start shooting!”
Everybody took up arms again, firing into the mass, taking special care to aim clear of the two men in the dumpster. The added cushion allowed the soldiers to get a handle on the situation.
The battle was swift but brutal. With the bulk of the horde distracted, the firing line was able to inch forward, switching to single fire and clearing out the creatures with precision. Within several minutes, all the creatures in the main horde lay motionless on the ground, leaving only a nominal force in front of the anchor stores at the far ends of either building.
Murphy immediately began pointing at groups of soldiers. “You men, main building,” he bellowed. “Rest of you, clear out the stragglers and then set up a fire line on the road.”
A chorus of “Yes sir!” erupted before the majority of the soldiers ran off, leaving only Bretz’ team with the Sergeant.
Murphy stalked towards the dumpster and crossed his arms. “That was a hell of a maneuver there, Corporal,” he said dryly.
“Appreciate it, Sergeant,” Bretz replied as he clambered out of the bin, reaching in to help Baker out.
“That wasn’t a compliment,” Murphy snapped, and then took a deep breath. “Okay, it was,” he admitted, and then pointed a finger at him accusingly. “But I’m not
