Under the bright red moon, the world and its inhabitants watched their last few days of existence drag by. Overnight, war, genocide, starvation, and disease had broken out simultaneously initiating the beginning of the end. Amidst the killing, running, and trying to stay alive, the people asked many questions: Who was behind it? How was this happening? Were they going to survive? Ultimately, before Death came for them, the question that stayed longest upon their blistering lips was... Why?

Why did the world have to end like this? Why now? Why them?

No answers to their questions. No answers to their prayers. The handsome face of Death, that was all they got... before flames of judgment burned their eye sight from the depths of their eye sockets.

“Why?” Death scoffed. “The reason is no longer relevant.”

If there ever existed a Hell... this was surely it. A red demon, a pair of horns, a sharp pointy tail, and a three pronged pitchfork was all that was missing.

• • • • • • •

The girl scurried to the corner of the alley like a plague rat. She had lost her family in the flames. Her mother. Her father. Her younger siblings whom she should have protected. They all perished before her eyes. It was like a terrible nightmare... a nightmare she had yet to wake up from.

“A nightmare? It is hardly a nightmare, Athena, my love.” The voice was heavenly and sweet. The girl looked up to see a fair white lady standing before her. All the ugliness melted away with her presence. Without a thought, the girl ran to the strange woman and embraced her. She had a mother’s warmth, the one thing Athena longed for.

She had blindly fallen into Conquest’s trap. “Tell me, Athena, before my friend comes for you. Do you wish to live?” Conquest asked in her honey drenched voice as she the girl’s soft hair.

“Yes...” the girl responded in her mouse-like voice.

Conquest laughed. It was all too amusing. “Thank you, Athena. It was exactly what I wanted to hear.” Conquest continued in a whisper. “And do you know what I’m going to do now? I’m going to persuade you to change that answer of yours.” A cold chill crept up the girl’s spine. The warmth she felt before had all been a lie.

“Know this, my love... I am Conquest... I never fail to persuade.”

Athena struggled to free herself from Conquest’s icy grip of doom. “I want to live... I want to live!!”

“What? Even with your family gone? Even with the world gone? You wretched little girl. Worthless. You couldn’t even protect your little brothers and sisters. You left them to die in your place.”

“Why...? Why must I die? Why must they die? Why?” The girl vanished into thin air.

Conquest stepped back, a little surprised. She knew who had done such a thing. “You will return her to me, greater being. Soon.”

• • • • • • •

“Where am I? Where is she?”

Who? Conquest? Did you want to go back to her?

“No!”

Such an interesting child.

“And you are?”

I could be everything and I could be nothing.

“What happened? Why am I in this place? It doesn’t make sense.”

Is that what is most important to you? Sense?

“I... I don’t know.”

You are here to ask me a very important question.

“I have many questions.”

I will only answer one, Athena. Ask wisely.

“Why? Why is this all happening to the world?”

Why? What is happening now is nothing new. It has happened many times before and it will continue to happen until my four horsemen see fit to give mankind a second chance. In order for them to show such mercy, the wounds inflicted on them by the world must heal. It seems those wounds are deep and perhaps... they will never heal.

“But... not everyone is bad.”

Humanity, you reap what you sow.

“I didn’t hurt them.”

Are you so sure of yourself? Good bye, Athena.

• • • • • • •

After Dark II: End of the World After Party