CHAPTER SIX
The gunshots from the rooftops went off at a steady clip. As Murphy led his team towards the shopping center entrance, they stared at the effects of it.
Most of the zombies that had been visible from their vantage point had since wandered in either direction, headed towards the far end of the buildings. This bought the group some significant space, fifty yards at a minimum, to set up their firing line.
They set up in a semicircle, no more than a yard apart from one another, one group kneels with the back row standing. They used the walls of the building for protection, fanning out to cover the entirety of the road.
“Okay men, listen up,” Murphy said. “We’re about to unleash hell on these things, and they’re going to try to do the same to us. When you feel comfortable taking the shot, do so, but not before. The last thing we need today is to run out of ammo. Everybody ready?”
The soldiers murmured in the affirmative, and the Sergeant gave a sharp nod.
“Let’s get it started, then,” he said, and aimed towards a zombie fifty yards away, shambling towards the crowd at the far end of the smaller building. As he zeroed in on it, he squeezed the trigger, the head exploding in a spectacular fashion.
Soon after, several more soldiers joined in, firing off well-placed shots that dropped an entire line of zombies in both directions. The noise drew the attention of a lot of creatures on the fringes of the main horde, who began working their way back towards them.
The firing stretched out over the next few minutes, more soldiers joining in as the zombies got closer to their range. At twenty-five yards, the ghouls were thick, hundreds of them piled together shoulder to shoulder, swarming over their fallen, all headed towards a fresh soldier buffet.
The fire on the line became more erratic as some of the men began to panic at the closeness of the undead.
“Three-round bursts!” Murphy yelled, and the soldiers switched to a barrage of bullets, unleashing bursts of shots that ripped through the ghouls. While the fire rate increased, the additional zombies falling weren’t enough to stem the tide.
Bretz glanced back as he heard gunfire coming from the teams guarding the back alleys. “Baker, on me!” he cried, and the two broke from the line, running back to the alley behind the main building. They found two soldiers standing there, frantically firing towards a group of monsters several dozen large.
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
