Doyle took a few steps back before running hard towards the ladder. He put a foot on the wall and launched himself up, grabbing onto Kowalski’s leg. The sniper grunted at the extra weight, but it didn’t take long for Doyle to secure himself and pull his weight from Kowalski’s body.
“Free advice,” Kowalski grunted, “lay off the carbs.”
Doyle chuckled and shook his head as they climbed up to join the others on the roof. The duo took a moment to breathe deep, looking down at the creatures all reaching up to them from the ground. They exchanged a fist bump and then walked to the front of the store to join Martin and Hurley, dropping their bags and gear.
The quartet froze as they looked out over the sea of creatures in the parking lot, spreading back to the smaller bridge and road.
“What do you say we give them a reason to head our way, huh?” Kowalski asked.
The other men nodded and readied their rifles. Soon, the air was filled with high-powered rifle shots, booming off at a consistent pace. Kowalski took a deep breath and pulled out his walkie-talkie.
“Sarge, it’s Kowalski, we’re in position,” he said into the radio.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sergeant Copeland reigned in his parachute as he looked around the field. Several men had formed a perimeter, keeping watch for the ghouls, while the rest of the men secured their gear. After a few moments, Corporal Dawson headed over to him.
“Your team good to go?” Copeland asked.
Dawson nodded. “Yes sir, fifteen of us ready to go,” he replied.
“Okay, be safe, we’ll see you on the bridge after a while,” Copeland replied. The two longtime friends exchanged a fist bump before Dawson headed off to join his group.
A few moments later, Johnson approached, flanked by a group of ten soldiers. “Sarge, we’re landed and ready to roll.”
“Good man,” Copeland replied, nodding. “So listen up everybody,” he began, turning to the group. “We’re gonna be moving quick. We got a mile and a half to cover, and we need to be there an hour ago. Unless you see me take a shot, nobody is to even draw their weapons, is that understood?”
There was a chorus of yes, sir, and he nodded again.
“One shot could give us away and undermine what our boys to the north and south are doing for us,” he continued. “When we get to the Super Center, Johnson, Raymond, and Schmitt, you work your way to the loading docks and inspect those trucks. If they’re not good to go, then we need to come up with a plan B. The rest of you will fan out in the store, clearing it of any hostiles and securing metal posts so we can build that barricade. If you see anything else that might be useful, make a note of it and we’ll come back once our primary mission is complete.” He crossed his arms. “Questions?”
There was a chorus in the negative this time, and he raised a hand. “Then let’s move ‘em out.” He led the group off of the field and onto the street that ran parallel with the river. They moved faster than an average jogging speed, their footsteps echoing in the darkness.
As they moved, several zombies reacted to the noise, emerging from the neighborhood to the south. Copeland barely batted an eye at the emerging threat, instead picking up the pace to stay clear of them. As they reached the few blocks before the surface street bridge, he stopped the group at a crossroads.
Several moans erupted from the south of them, about thirty yards down the side street. Copeland glanced over, seeing it was about five zombies. He snapped his fingers and pointed, and five soldiers broke formation, pulling out knives and rushing the ghouls to take them out silently. Copeland focused back on the bridge as they returned to formation, leaving a pile of bodies in their wake.
“Johnson,” the Sergeant said.
The Private approached. “Sarge.”
“I need your night scope,” Copeland said.
Johnson handed over his rifle with the night-vision scope, and the Sergeant looked through it to study the large congregation of zombies on the bridge that stretched almost to the road they were on. He let out a low grunt and handed the rifle back.
“Detour,” Copeland said, “let’s move.”
He led the group down a block before turning back to the west towards the target. They reached the bridge road, and Copeland checked out the horde of zombies beginning about sixty yards up. He motioned for them to keep moving, but put a finger to his lips.
They crept across the road, keeping their footsteps as light as possible. When they reached the other side and moved behind cover, they picked up the pace again, continuing to ignore creatures stumbling out from the shadows.
After several minutes, they finally reached the edge of the parking lot to the Super Center. There were a few zombies near the corner of the lot that Copeland pointed to. The same soldiers that dispatched the earlier ones repeated their stealthy kills, ending the nearby threat.
The Sergeant took a knee, and the rest of the squad followed. He held out his hand, and Johnson gave him the night vision scope again. The lot was dotted with abandoned vehicles, as well as a couple dozen creatures wandering about. Copeland looked up towards the bridge, seeing a mass of monsters on it.
As he looked, the first shots from the northern group rang out, and some of the zombies turned to shamble in that direction.
“Those sniper boys don’t waste time, do they?” Johnson murmured from behind him.
Copeland grunted, knowing that the noise was going to quickly bring undead reinforcements from the south. “You all know what to do,” he said, “let’s move.”
The Sergeant led the group across the parking lot, spreading out as they went. As they approached the front of the building, various soldiers delivered knife blows to creatures
