Afterglow • Gideon Emery

1

They say to keep your loved ones close to you at all times, because you never know when they're going to disappear before your eyes. That statement never crossed Gideons mind as much as it should because he felt like he was perfect at what he did to ensure security for himself and his wife. The condescending thoughts is what's going to change in the future.

Sleeping so calmly like hibernating bears in their bed Chloe, Gideons wife, woke up to separate sounds. One, Gideons loud lion snores, and their dog growling from down the hall. She got out of bed and wrapped her robe around her body without waking the man up and she explored down the hall following her dogs threatening growl until she finds him in the kitchen growling at the front door.

She had a German Shepherd named Dempsey, she's had him for a few years when Gideon gifted him to her as a puppy for company and protection while he went out to missions with Atlas. Also so she wouldn't sickly miss him much, as she was no stranger to anxiety and fear of something happening to him when she's clueless.

"Dempsey really?" Chloe quietly yawns stretching her back as she walked to the fridge to grab the milk jug and just drank it through the jug. They're married who cares. But Dempsey continued to growl, this could mean two things, either they're in danger or Dempsey is seeing ghosts like dogs tended to. "Dempsey... stop"

Usually Dempsey obeyed, he was a trained German Shepherd. He was trained like K-9, except Gideon is his police buddy and he works at home. It frightened the woman when her dog didn't obeyed, it was like he didn't hear her. He growled louder and his claws tapped on the stone floor when he moved his paws in a more threatening position.

Like she wasn't supposed too, Chloe walked up to the door and took a look through the peep hole engraved in her door and she could see what triggered her dog. A man wearing all black from skin and bones wandered down the hall of other soldiers homes holding a crowbar in his hands. His footsteps got louder as he walked back to their doorstep, it looked like he was making a big decision on whose home he should break into. If he was smart he would avoid the Gideon apartment because of the big dog, if he was deaf it's like the dog isn't here for him.

They lived in Atlas apartments so how this man broke in will be a mystery. She always made sure the door was locked before she went to sleep, but right now a lock wasn't going to save her from a crowbar break in.

She needed to go wake up Gideon if the other soldiers wasn't going to wake up. She turned away to run down the hall but that's when she heard the doorknob start to rattle then Dempsey started to bark. "D-Dempsey- shh" Chloe trembled then running to the kitchen where she pulled out a large butcher knife from its wood box holder.

At close to the bottom of the door there was a slim mail slot for the Sunday mail, staring at it for a couple seconds she got the idea. Wrapping her arms around her big dog she pulled him out of her way before she walked to the door. Slowly lifting the mail slot then pushing the knife through the hole, to hear the mans screaming was horrifying. But fear was pointless right now, Chloe quickly opened the door and ordered Dempsey to attack.

Dempsey barked and jumped on the intruder and with his canine teeth he bit down on the mans arm and tugged violently like rope. The angered and pained intruder punched her dog off his continuously bleeding arm, hearing Dempsey whimper made Chloe's blood boil. She wasn't a killing person, she didn't know how Gideon could handle killing people all the time, but right now this man is going to die.

While he grasped his dangerously bleeding arm Chloe kicked him in his back forcing him down on the ground before she and Dempsey ganged up on the man. Dempsey went for his arm again while Chloe presses her feet on the palm of his hand and she stabbed the joint of his elbow where the veins where more prevalent. "Do. Not. Hit. My. Dog. Again." She threatened him faces close and violent. In terrible pain the man forced his head on hers knocking her back holding her aching head then kicking the dog back off and he forced himself to pin her to the wall picking his crowbar back up he was ready to beat the woman until she no longer had a face.

"You shouldn't have done that." Was all he said to her before he rose his crowbar. She watched as another hand grabbed the crowbar and forced the man to turn his body then he was violently punched to the floor, with a relief she seen Gideon wide awake stand in front of her.

"What the bloody hell is going on?!" He says, all the soldiers awaken by the commotion opened their doors. Jack Mitchell and Will Irons walked by Gideons side looking at Chloe with confusion. All the eyes on her made her anxious. Gideon still wanted answer.

"Dempsey woke me up growling at the door, when I looked through the peep hole he-" pointing to the unconscious man "was breaking into our apartments, attempting to at least, he tried to go in Will's apartment then he changed his mind and tried to come in ours. I went to wake you up but he already broke the lock and I let Dempsey handle it until he hit my dog and I got mad and fought back." Chloe crossed her arms.

Baffled, Will walked over to the unconscious man and pulled him up by the collar of his black sweater.

"Fuck me." Gideon growled, he wanted to be angry at her for risking her life but at the same time he was so relieved that she was safe, she wouldn't be without Dempsey. He just pulled her close and hugged her so tight.

"What the hell is going on here?" They heard Jonathan Irons says walking into the soldier suite with his guards. He saw Will and Mitchell hold the unconscious and bleeding intruder by his shoulders. "What the-?"

"We've been attacked. It's taken care of, sir." Gideon only says "go back inside Chloe, don't argue with me." He says knowing Chloe would object. Rolling her eyes to the back of her head she went back inside.

Gideon got on a knee and pat his dogs head, the friendly dog shakes his tail. "That's a good boy." He says "go inside." Following orders Dempsey ran inside and he closed the door.

"How the hell did he get inside?!" Jonathan Irons says so confused "Atlas is supposed to be perfectly secured."

"You have cameras everywhere don't you?" Mitchell speaks up.

"We can take a look." Will then says so it was agreed that Will, Mitchell, and Gideon will go watch the surveillance videos while Jonathan Irons and his guards dealt with the intruder.