“It’s not fair!” The six-year-old Omega stomped her foot and shook her pretty blonde curls. “You guys don’t have to go to bed now!”

“That’s because we’re older.” Armageddon tried to reason with her. “When you’re our age, you’ll get to stay up late too.”

“I wanna stay up now!” She demanded, thrusting out her chin and glaring at him in impotent fury.

“Just take her to her room, Armageddon.” Apocalypse said, looking over the rim of her book. “Let her throw a temper tantrum in there.” Armageddon looked over at his girlfriend and shook his head hopelessly. “Here.” Apocalypse set her book down and got up from the comfortable chair she’d been buried in. She was pretty, in a girl-next-door way. She had medium length light brown hair, and her green eyes were framed by thin glasses. She was slender and short, whereas her boyfriend Armageddon was tall and muscular. He towered above her, and had to stoop when they kissed. Right now, though, he was squatting down to be on a level with the young Omega. Apocalypse bent over Omega and took her hand.

“You want to be a good girl, don’t you, Omega? You know what happens to bad girls.”

“They don’t get to End the World.” Omega said sulkily.

“That’s right, sweetie. You don’t want to miss that, do you?” Omega shook her head slowly. “All right now. Would you like Armageddon to read you a story before you go to sleep?”

“Uh-huh.” Apocalypse looked over at Armageddon, who sighed and nodded. Omega trotted off happily with him as Apocalypse returned to her book. After five or ten minutes, Armageddon returned. He snuggled into the chair with his girlfriend as she put a bookmark in place and set her novel on a coffee table.

“So what are we going to do now that Omega’s in bed?” Cthulu asked. His tentacles slowly waved back and forth as his large eyes focused on the couple.

“I dunno. I’m kinda in the mood to just lay low.” Cataclysm said, turning his ocean-blue eyes on Gog and Magog. “What do you guys want?”

“We want to have fun.” Gog rumbled. The others winced. Gog and Magog were both eight feet tall and had trouble adjusting their voices to normal levels.

“Yes,” Magog boomed. “Let’s sneak out of the habitat and tease Jormungand.”

“No, he’s been crabby recently.” Ragnarok remarked, shaking back his flaming red head and adjusting his armor. As they were discussing their plans, there was a click at the outer door. The adolescents looked up expectantly. One of the faceless, voiceless denizens of the habitat dragged Holocaust in. Holocaust’s eyes were flaming- literally. The creature let go of his arm and left. They could hear the lock snap into place.

“Holocaust! What did you do?” Cataclysm, Holocaust’s twin brother, asked.

“Nothing, really. They’re making a huge deal out of nothing.” The boy said sulkily, leaning against the wall.

“You went out into the World, didn’t you?” Cthulu accused.

“Maybe. So what?”

“So what? So we’re not allowed out of the habitat, let alone out into the World!” Apocalypse cried.

“The Four Horsemen get to.” He complained. The teenagers all unconsciously looked over to where the twenty-something War, Pestilence, Famine, and Death were all playing cards.

“As I keep telling Omega, when you’re older, you get more privileges. Besides, the Four Horsemen are told where and when to strike. Where did you go?” Armageddon demanded.

“Germany, 1940s.” Holocaust said, looking a bit guiltier than before. His friends sighed and shook their heads. “Hey, they’ve already got a lot of problems there. They’re not going to notice my presence.” He said defensively.

“If you’re not careful, you’re going to get banned from the End of the World, and then what will you do?” Cataclysm complained. “You’ll make me go out alone?”

“Yes, what then?” Ragnarok asked. They turned to look at him. “I mean, what happens after?”

“After what?” Cthulu asked. “The End?”

“Yeah. What then?” The adolescents looked at each other uncomfortably.

“I dunno.” Holocaust broke the silence. “I guess we come back here?”

“And do what, exactly?” Ragnarok turned to face him. “Just stay here? Forever?” They eyed each other for a few minutes before Magog broke the silence.

“I don’t know about after the End, but I do know what I’m going to do now. I’m going to go play outside.”

“Yeah.” Gog echoed, and followed his twin to the outer door, where they hunched over the lock, trying to break it. The group split up then, Ragnarok going to sit and stare into the fire, while Armageddon and Apocalypse talked quietly and Holocaust joined Gog and Magog at the door. Cthulu went into the kitchen to make himself some sushi. Cataclysm slowly wandered over to the table where the Four Horsemen were playing cards. None of his friends noticed.

“Excuse me?” The Horsemen turned to look at him. “I’m sorry to interrupt your game, but what happens after?”

“After the End, you mean?” Death asked in a hollow voice.

“Yes, please, sir.” Cataclysm squeaked.

“Nothing. We’re it. After us it stops.” War told him.

“It can’t just end.” Cataclysm protested. Famine shrugged his bony shoulders.

“It can and it will, whether you like it or not.” He told the boy. Pestilence laid a friendly, if maggot-covered, hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to the idea. You have all the time in the World. Which isn’t very long.”