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How Far Down?

"Hey, Sweetie. How are the Rugrats so far?" Gideon asked, the crowded airport practically setting off mental alarms in his mind as he watched everyone and everything. Habits always died hard after all. The Sig concealed in his inner pocket making itself known for the dozenth time as he caught the end of his wife's statement.

"Brandon finally learned to walk! and Lexis began preschool a few days ago as well." The love of his life, Alex, a petite and kind woman. The cliche meet up at the bar, a rough night of sex, and then there he was in a relationship, not even a few days later.

Learning he was in the military was not a deterrent for her and they lived the long-distance style of love life for pretty much his whole career. She was what most men wanted in the Service.

"So when will you be home?" At the query, Gideon peeked over at a large board that showed the traffic flight times. Eyes going down the list.

"Couple hours not counting the board time as well as taking off." Said back.

"So shoot for maybe...3 hours? I got Jen coming over to watch the kids so we can leave." A purring voice that had his body tingling in all sorts of the right places had him smiling, that vixen side of her showing.

"Down woman. " Gideon chuckled into the phone. "Love you too."

Before he could fire off another comment or answer another question the speaker overheard began calling.

"Honey I have to go, Love you and will see you soon!" Quickly stuffing the small device in the opposite pocket of his weapon. Picking up his small bag he walked forward to the small line.

One of Gideon's buddies as a parting gift gave him first-class seating in the small aircraft. Even pulling a couple of strings and allowing him to carry on board. Extra Magazine and Knife included of course.

The transition from seat to seat was a painless effort except for the mental stress of being in a more confined space with people he didn't know. "Glorious.." the mumbled comment escaped his lips as ass met cushion.

The flight was mind-numbing. Having music pumped through one of his earbuds helped, sleep impossible. As more than flight attendant had come over and whispered a question or two his way. The rumor got around fast about Gideon was someone 'Special'.

"Have you..uh..killed anyone before?" From a curvy blonde.

"How many man?" This one was from a skinny fellow, this one Gideon hated already.

"What did you do?" From a Brunette female who seemed to love makeup a bit too much.

These were just a few but luckily Gideon's patient was high and they were not hitting the wrong buttons. A shrug and grunt there made most disinterested.

2 hours of flight ended and Gideon was off the plane in record speed. Small bag in hand and not a wave goodbye to the staff. His brisk walk had him in the luggage area with a large duffle over his shoulder and briefcase pulled behind him. The bag set over the handles.

The flight had taken him from the east coast to his home state of Alabama. "Oy! Fatass!" The familiar voice of a long-time friend made Gideon perk his ears up.

"H-o-l-y Shit. Is that you John?" Gideon walked up and gave the slightly taller man of six one a giant hug, followed quickly by a pat on the back hard enough to make casual people wince from the sound alone.

Jonathan Henderson. A friend since middle school after a fight that had them both suspended and with a few bruised bones. Later joining Gideon when both of them enlisted.

They were both lucky enough to be put through the same Company for basic and even Unit when deployed as 11B together. Though Jonathan was discharged about three years after an IED had blown his left leg off.

"Damn straight it is!" Giving a hearty laugh back and returning the clap with something just as fierce they pulled away.

"So enough of the girly catch up time, rather not have Alex shoving her fireplace poker up my ass. She threatened me by the way." Gideon only snorted at John's statements.

"Where did you find her again? A fucking bar? Lucky son of a.." Gideon merely grinned as both men jumped in the gray-colored car. Duffle and Briefcase in the trunk while the small bag stayed with him.

"Keep that up and I will let Jen know you insulting me, you know how she is with that kind of talk." John quickly quieted at the statement. Murmuring a "Bastard.." Somewhere along the drive that had Gideon chuckling again.

The twenty-minute drive home was filled with a couple more, very pointed, jokes. Gideon barely coming in for the win with a particular insult. "So out of all the dudes, Jen had your sperm won?"

"Fucker!" Insult and laughter ensued again.

"But you glad to be home? I know the transition was a bitch for me. One leg down and that seems to disqualify you from any and everything. Being Ex-Military seemed to help on a resume."

Gideon sighed and nodded. "Yeah, luckily I have some Tech skills for a simple grunt. Maybe pick up a fancy new job that pays better yeah?"

Both men grinned before John turned down the street his house was at, the line of one-story houses with lawns and actual people in them a nostalgic sight. "Been away for a long time haven't I?" The once cheery in the vehicle died down as John merely smiled half-heartedly and nodded.

"Alright man, this is your stop. Tell Jen I will in there soon, got to make a call."

Gideon nodded as he popped open the door and got out, the open neighborhood was such a great sight yet it tingled against a sixth sense that said something was wrong. That he was out in the open and vulnerable.

Shrugging that down with silent groan he went around to the back of the vehicle, looking both ways before quickly reaching in and grabbing his stored luggage. Duffle over the shoulder and briefcase held by the handle. The sixth sense once again assaulting him mentally.

"Nothing is wrong Gideon, just not use to being without armor and toating a rifle hundreds of miles.." Even with that incouragement statement, he began walking across his yard before John yelled out behind him.

"Hey Gideon I will be back soon, just got the text that Jen wanted me to grab some stuff before stopping! Distracting Fatass..."

Snorting, Gideon merely waved him off. "Go, do your Mistress's bidding!"

"HA! I wish I had one of those." Grinning, John hopped back into the vehicle and was down the street the moment Gideon hit the door. Yet, something familiar hit his senses. So faint that he did not pay attention. Pushing down his blaring senses that said something was off.

"It's all normal. Just get used to it Gideon.." And yet he was dumping his bags on the brick porch and unholstering his sidearm. Sig Sauer in hand at a low ready, both hands tight on the grip as his boot slowly pushed open the door.

"No.." The words left his lips like a man having lost a part of him. Gideon wanted to rush in, check on his loved ones but his senses and experience reigned. Dominating his actions as he stared forward into the dark living room of his home.

His breathing ragged now slowing down even as he felt the rush of adrenaline and the beat of his heart pounding against his chest. That hopeless feeling turning in to fuel for anger, rage, and hatred against an unknown enemy who had possibly hurt his family.

Gritting his teeth he pushed forward, his mental stability had only lasted for the barest of moments as Gideon went forward. Wishing that John had stayed and he would not need to do room clearing by himself.

The first thing that hit him was the smell, copper, blood. The second was the soft music playing in the background. An unknown Electronic artist. Something about 'Beating The Odds'. A fitting name Gideon thought about later.

Gideon's attention was straight ahead and to the left. The large Family Room combined with a Dining Area and Kitchen gave him a clear line of sight all the way forward. Beginning slicing the pie to the left slowly he rapidly turned his head to look right occasionally.

Making sure no one would sneak up on him by the small wall that did partially cover some of the kitchen and the bedrooms that were a few feet to the right where a hallway was.

Bob in, bob out with quick peaks to the left of the doorframe before 'Shooting out' his sidearm to aim down the empty Living room. Closed curtains that kept the outside world from looking in. Exhaling and breathing as he was holding his breath for that moment of possible contact he moved inside his house finally.

Handgun switching between the open kitchen area and to the hallway as he scooted around the left side, wall to his back and couch in front of him until he got to a point he could see down the hallway. The smell of blood getting stronger as he used the small kitchen wall to his left for concealment.

Gideon was also cursing the mental layout of the map by this point as well. The designer definitely not planning for someone to sweep and clear as the minute he went to turn in to the kitchen his side was exposed to the long corridor of three bedrooms, the laundry room, and a bathroom.

Yet if he did not clear the Kitchen someone could sneak up behind him. Cursing silently to himself he made sure to breathe, the adrenaline still running strong through his system hard. Chancing it he advanced forward. Keeping his Sig aimed down that hallway until the last possible moment and he cut to the left, hard.

The sweep over from the Hallway left him few seconds be he needed to do it yet he could not prepare himself for the thing he saw.

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The slumped over and possibly once female corpse judging from the two bumps on the chest, seemed to be partially eaten. Eyes missing and a giant chew out hole in the stomach area where the smell of intestines had him almost wretching. Only the thing MOVING inside this cavity had him raising his sidearm and stare, wide-eyed.

An Insect at best guess, overlapping plates of onyx colored carapace with spindly legs piercing into the thighs was eating. The soft, smacking of mandibles and gooey flesh now noticed to Gideon's ears.

Gideon was frozen at the spot. His mind trying to mentally explain to him without breaking him mentally. What was this thing, what was it doing here, is this real?

He stood there for almost two whole seconds until the 'Thing' turned its head. Eight, small green eyes staring at him with almost foot-long mandibles clicking at him, the once dog-sized creature skittered out of the stomach of what he was hoping was not his wife and friend's wife to be not just dog size but centipede in length.

Hundreds of those spindly legs clattering against the tile floor as Gideon hearts almost lurched out of his chest in a scream, but not before he pulled the trigger. The deafening sound of the handgun going off had his ears ringing, the creature screaming, and the casing hit the floor followed by another..and another until he emptied the entire Sig's 10 round magazine of .45 ACP into the now twitching form.

His once steady breathing was ragged and out of pace as his finger kept pulling the trigger, the second click of an empty chamber is what got him out of his stupir as he dropped the magazine from the gun. Reaching into his back pocket for a fresh one before slamming it home and letting the slide go forward. 

"W-what..the actual fuck.." Gideon said while almost hyperventilating.

His body was shivering the longer he gazed at the occasional twitching form of the dark creature. A hissing sound coming from it as green ichor was spread all across the tile floor and walls. The rounds having done their job properly of doing large scale bug extermination.

His stupor was cut short by more, barely audible mandible clacking coming from behind him and to the left. "Hallway." He muttered as his wide eyes looked that way all the while he was dashing forward, practically loosening the door frame as Gideon burst through the door that connected the garage from the kitchen.

Gideon not even noticing how he stepped on the dead creature as he was frantically opening a gun safe that contained one of his only two rifles. One of them being in his bedroom.

Punching the code in rapidly all while the skittering and clicking got louder he turned the handle, yanked the door, and grabbed his rifle.

The DDM4A1 came off the rack as Gideon quickly put his back to the safe to watch the door and shoved his sidearm into his pants pocket. Both hands now on the rifle he pulled the charging handle back to chamber a round and brought it up to his shoulder.

Right hand around the grip while the other pushed the button on the side to activate the CCO dot. Zeroed in for him a few years ago when he came back from his second to last deployment.

Gideon also believed in backups to his backups as his Iron Sights was lined up with the dot in case the optic was to break. Which it very much might as another one of the creatures barreled over it fallen species like it was nothing more than trash.

But Gideon was ready this time as he squeezed the trigger and efficiently put a total of five rounds of 5.56 into what he assumed was the head front body of this thing, all while scooting right and using the hood of his car as a stabilization platform and cover.

Yet again his ears were ringing as the enclosed space of his garage, brass casing hitting the floor rapidly as the body of the creature hit the floor with a harsh thud. One that he did not hear but feel, as the concrete floor of the garage seemed to buckle, even cave in slightly. This one much bigger than its brother or sister.

Gideon put an extra five rounds into the head before staying exactly where he was and watching. Seeing if it even so much as twitched. After a very long and intense 5 seconds of his life, he slowly backed up to the safe. Eye still staring at the door leading into the kitchen as he let go of the rifle with his left hand and reached in, grabbing a vest.

A Rapid Assualt Vest by Condor Tactical to be exact, filled with six more magazines as Gideon beginning to put it on one-handed. Rifle sight never leaving that damn doorway before he had to drop it for the briefest of seconds to pull it down snuggly.

Hard to believe this all took place in the span of a couple of minutes. Combat always felt like forever. The stray thought quickly removed itself from his head as he did a combat reload, banana-ing the shit out of those two magazines. Kind of like his life depended on it.

Shoving the partially emptied magazine into the slot on his vest he moved forward. Rifle switching from dead creature to doorway as his boot came out to kick the 'Holey' head. Notting the lack of movement he shook out the combat high and shudder that was now the highest it had ever been.

Moving up the two steps to get back into the kitchen he began slicing the pie again. Though the form of the creature in the garage was long enough to still be partway in the kitchen.

[One area left] Was his mental note. The music in the background from before running from Youtube on the TV switched over. A song by a rock band coming on talking about 'Dead Flowers for the torn apart'.

Quickly clearing the pantry in the kitchen and the Living room once again he kept his left shoulder against the wall before slowly stepping back and to the right before 'Shooting' his muzzle down the corridor. Bathroom dead ahead, 2 bedrooms to his right where his children slept along with a closet, Laundry to his left down partway, and the Master Bedroom all the way at the end to the left.

Gideon took a moment to breathe, calmingly himself as he tried to clear the tunnel vision he was giving himself. Looking to the right and out the doorway, noting the highly strange and empty street from what little he could see. Someone should have been calling for help right? Hearing gunshots would definitely attract citizens who wanted the police here stat.

[That is next] Gideon thought before switching quickly from the left of the hallway door frame to the left. Easily clearing out the Laundry room from this angle as he began advancing.

Muzzle switching from the four available places a 'Thing' might come out at him. Though he was sure the bathroom was clear from his clear view inside and lack of closet made it impossible to hide. He would still check.

Going forward with his form hugging the right of the hallway. Grabbing the handle of the closet he opened it to reveal a few jackets. [Clear].

Closing the door he went forward again, remembering his Daughter's bedroom was positive feed, meaning when coming in to look he got to stare at a wall and only had to worry about his right side. Though the Angles from the other room had him worried, [Though rounds getting fired at me seems to not be a concern here.] He thought darkly.

Breathe.

Gideon took that moment before going in hard, much like the military taught rather than nice and precise room clearing. The dark yet pink interior from the walls still did not hide the small form of his daughter's deformed and destroyed body on her gore covered bed, backed up into a corner his tactical mind said.

A tear streaked down his cheek to mix with the large amount of sweat that covered his face. "Fuckers..." He cursed, loudly, repeatedly as he stared for another second. Right before something shift on the wall directly above the body and flew at him. Faster then what was humanly possible even with Adrenaline and expecting something to pop out Gideon managed to not get his arm removed.

A jerking motion had him moving to the left with his back wedge between a wall a Lexis's wooden dresser. Liquid running down his arm as he went did not even bother raising his rifle up to his shoulder at range as he began letting rounds loose at almost point-blank range.

Green ichor spurting out as five rounds left his magazine, the brass clicking against the floor as his mostly useless ear's by this point from shooting in confined rooms did not make them ring. What looked like an oversized stag beetle the size of his whole arm was lodged into the wall still struggling.

Another five rounds joined the wounded form of the bug before it stopped moving. An extra two for safe measure. Breathing heavily he began giving the darkroom a quick once over, spotting no more of THOSE.

Looking at his left arm a light gash was there from whatever the beetle used to take a chunk out of him, the wound itself luckily not being too deep but still bleeding. "Shit.." Removing a hand from his rifle he stepped deeper into the room for cover and began a makeshift tourniquet with his belt.

Checking his arm to see if he could still move it, he luckily could but with some difficulty, he advanced again. Wanting this finished and..and...

Gideon was almost fighting the urge to sob and cry at the sight of his baby girl..one he had only ever had to hold once since she was born, dead.

Raising his rifle he got a double negative type of hallway. Though the bathroom was still now easy to see all the way through he reached out and closed the door silently. His eyes getting used to the dark lightening of his home.

His son's room was next, one that he only ever saw over Video or heard over the phone. The oddly shaped room proved no real difficulty. His son's form was luckily not there, giving him just a glimpse of hope that maybe, just maybe he was alive.

Checking the closet he found nothing as well. Five minutes had gone by as Gideon did another combat reload in Brandon's room. Stuffing the partially emptied magazine into his vest. Arriving in front of his bedroom that was closed he stopped.

Breathe Gideon...Breathe.

Behind this door would either break him or destroy him he thought.

With that, he unlocked the door and kicked it open with enough pent up fury and loss it slammed in the wall hard enough to raddle hinges.

What stood before him was cloaked form of a person hovering over the same, emptied eyed, the half-eaten form of his wife Alex. What looked like her SP-101 clutched in hand, several things moving across her lower half and working their way upwards.

To say it destroyed him was putting it lightly as over in the left corner of the room was a pile of bugs moving over an unseen form of his son.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" His scream, his pent up anguish was let loose as he dumped his whole damn magazine into the form. His muscle reflexed kicking in as he dropped the magazine while backing up and putting another thirty rounds into surroundings creatures, bugs, whatever the fuck they were.

Another magazine slid home as his second one hit the floor, Gideon not bothering to pick it up as he was out in the hallway shooting continuously, wishing oh so much his rifle was Automatic. It was not until he was using his partial magazines that he breathing heavy and the movement down the corridor was still.

Dozens and dozens of varying size creatures laid still with bullet holes adorning there form. Gideon's boots crunching over their form and splattering green blood and ichor all along his pant legs and walls. His walls painted in there gore and blood as he stepped into his bedroom once more.

The once still form of the robed figure now twitching as it used its arms to push up off the carpet, blood slick floor. "Y-youuuu.." It hissed at him.

"Yeah..me.." Raising his rifle Gideon shot it in the head eighteen times. Dropping the magazine and pulling out his last and only partial magazine, slamming it in as he now watched awe-struck as the form began moving again.

"You..can..not kill...meeee.." It garbled out in a hissing, almost laughter-filled voice.

Molten rage flooded his Veins as Gideon got close, put a boot on the back of this 'Things' back and stepped down Emptying his last and final magazine into the now tattered robe. Brass casings littering his bedroom floor as the hood finally fell away.

A human face was there, only it was bad and when it turns it mutilated head it was regrowing at a highly visible rate. Another chuckle escaping the garbled throat of the man before Gideon began beating it with his buttstock. Over...and over...and over.

Blood covered him by this point, bits of brain matter splattering across him as he repeatedly broke the skull and scattered the brain. He did not know how long he beat on the man. When he switched from the ruined buttstock to his barrel. Or when he pulled out his knife from his back pocket and stabbed.

But when he did come down from the fury he was tired. Oh so tired as he got off his straddled position from the man that he seemed to have killed. The once regular form of the man now a shriveled husk as Gideon slid over next to his dead wife.

"My Wife...My kids.." So tired that tears refused to come out as his back was pushed up against his bed and to the right of his wife. His hand reaching out to grasp her only remaining one that seemed to not been touched by the creatures. One grasping the SP101 as he pulled it from her grasp.

"No worries hun. I-I am here to protect you..right?" His quivering voice echoed out in the silent room as his mind was in shambles, shuddering he stared up at the ceiling. Clutching the gun as thoughts flooded his mind, happy memories, bad memories, even childhood.

Laying there, physically exhausted, mentally and emotionally broken, he did not even hear men in what looked like high tech gear flood inside his house. Callouts loud and clear as people checked from room to room until arriving in his bedroom.

Dark tactical gear with what looked like rifles in a bullpup style came in ready for a fight until they saw Gideon next to his wife Alex. "Clear! Got one survivor!" With his destroyed rifle to his right and the revolver in hand, he peered up at the armored man. Lifeless eyes peering up. "I protected her..right?"

All of the forms stilled in the room before one kneeled before Gideon, a deep masculine voice muffled by a clothed face mask answered him. "Yeah. You did. Come.."

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