He lays there in the dark of his room, thinking his thoughts, and trying to sleep. He wishes he could just close his eyes once, just once, and not have to see the images of their screaming faces. It’s hard now, for him, to just keep on living; to keep on fighting.
	What happened?
	What turned it so terribly wrong?
	Ness sits up in his bed, shaking off the cold draft that is now ever present in his home. He walks over to a cracked mirror oddly placed on the wall, and runs his fingers through his matted hair.
	“Bed Head” he says, half smiling to fight the tears.
	He walks over and pulls on a pair of black jeans, his movements labored from the night before, the small amount of sleep taking toll.
	He looks around the baron room for his hoodie. Finding it under the edge of the bed, he throws it over his head and yanks it down. 
	No drawstrings to pull it in and fight the cold. They would just get in the way. 
	His clothes fit loosely around him, worn and tattered, the only thing he bothers to wear. A rack of ball caps hangs on the wall next to the mirror.
	“Which one today” he whispers, knowing full well it’s always the same since they all left him.
	As he pulls the hat tight over his eyes, he thinks back to what brought him here to this moment, to what brought him so many horrific moments.
	It was all perfect. They had beaten the evil and saved the world. All four of them returned home, began living their perfect lives, never once thinking anything of that childish letter left by Pokey. Poo reigned supreme, bringing peace and harmony among his people. Jeff went and opened an institute in Summers, a short-sighted attempt at bringing culture to the locals. He and Paula traveled back to the warm, inviting havens that helped them along there journey, just living life as it came. For years, all of the chosen ones lives were perfect.
	Then the storms came.
Great, black storm clouds filled the sky. For a he had thought it was just Onett, but found out from the others it had consumed the world. The rains shortly followed, falling fat on the ground of the planet, filling the rivers and oceans to the brims. The strange, violent behavior of humans and animals awoke once more, stirred from the dark shell surrounding them.
	They did what they did best at first, coming together and defeating wave after wave of the furious evil horde. It soon became futile, the evil consuming every being but them. Taking refuge was pointless. It had seeped its way into every corner of every sanctuary they knew. Even in the beautiful, but deserted, Saturn Valley they came, an unquenchable thirst for the chosen’s blood. For years, all they could do was fight and move, fight and move.
	Then one day it stopped. They demons would come, but they would not attack. They simply watched, staring into their eyes blankly. The Four decided to go to Dalaam to seek refuge in the Kings palace. Followed by the hordes, they reached the palace in hopes of some answer, some glimmer of hope.
	As they entered the main Hall, the doors slammed behind them, locking the evil creatures out, but also locking them in. They navigated the great room to find a means to light the darkness, but found only Horror. 
	As the lights came up, burning brightly from the candles around them, they all saw him. Aged and disgusting, Pokey sat on the throne. From beneath his white hat of hair was a cracked grimace of pleasure.
	“Welcome morons, I’m glad you’re here to play.”
	His horrible laugh filled the room, giving off an essence of inhumanity.
Pokey then turns his head to the dark corner of the room.
	“Its time my mindless child, time to exact some vengeance on the only remaining humans of this sad world!”
	The Four turn to the corner to see a boy emerge from the darkness. His head covered in a mask and his movements silent and slow. 
	“This is your first test kiddo, don’t disappoint me,” cackled Pokey to the boy.
The masked one slowly pulled his hand from his side. Reaching across, he pulls out only what Ness can describe as a sword of light. In that moment, they all stood silent, waiting for one another to move.
	Then, in a blinding flash, the boy sprang forward. He thrust his hand forward as bolts of lighting caught all four in the chest. Ness, Poo, and Jeff were thrown across the room, but Paula stood strong, clutching the Franklin Badge to her chest. With no reaction or hesitation, the boy leaped towards Paula, cutting her down in one shot, her eyes full of tears as she fell to the ground.
	She reaches out, “Ness….”
	They all fell one buy one, fighting to no avail as the masked kid toppled them.
“I guess that Nerve gas filling the room doesn’t help you guys, huh. I guess I shoulda’ brought extras,” Pokey laughed, holding his gut as it shook.
	Ness lasted as long as he could, landing some hits here and there, but was soon downed when the masked boy took his eye, leaving a searing gash running from his left ear to his right brow.
	After that is where it gets fuzzy. All Ness remembers is the room blurring out and a voice was echoing, “And so it ends here, punk. You will live here alone in this dying world. You can make of it what you will, but as for me, I’m outta here.”
	And that’s it. Ness came to in his home, destroyed and broken. 
	Alone.
	Ever since that day, he had scrounged, fought, bled, cried, and retaliated for some ground; some means of living. After many years, he managed to win back the portion of Onett around his home, fighting a one man war for self preservation. He fights because that’s all he has left. 
	He finishes in the mirror and walks over to a wall covered in calendars. He doesn’t know why he keeps track of time; he just knows it partially soothes him. He also knows that on one day, the big bads come, the ones he fought before, only more gruesome and terrifying. He fought them once for his memories, now he fights them for survival. He both hates and loves this day. 
	Ness looks around the room for his trusty Limited Edition Onett Eagles black bats, two made especially for crackin’ skulls. He finds them propped next to the door and straps them to his back.
	He turns and takes one final look in the mirror before heading outside into the nightmare.
	“Happy Halloween Ness…..”