1 The End?

Milton Graves grew up a happy child, at least for the first few years of his life. His parents, Todd and Lucy, were hard working but they spoiled Milton to no end. They loved him and he loved them and their days were filled with love, happiness, and prosperity. Milton was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time with his parents.

They shared with him their love of comic books and thus he was introduced to a whole other world. A world full of people and otherworldly beings with amazing and frightening abilities, skills, and gadgets. The happiness that came from having the comic books and sharing those worlds with Milton made Todd and Lucy the happiest they had ever been. However, the world isn't all sunshine and fucking rainbows.

Lucy had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer around the time she had become pregnant with Milton. She had been asymptomatic for years, but the symptoms started to appear after a few years and her health went on a decline. Todd attempted to stay strong for Milton's sake and even looked at getting Milton more comic books to read.

Then, the time had come for Lucy to go. Milton was heartbroken, but Todd...

Todd was destroyed due to losing Lucy.

He drank bottles upon bottles but he never touched Milton. Milton was a smart kid and he knew that if he didn't fix his dad then he would lose him too.

"Dad, I need to talk to you."

Milton got his father's attention away from all the booze and TV.

"Hey sport, what's up?"

Milton took a deep breath and with all the air in his lungs he yelled with all the courage he could.

"Get up of your lazy ass and do something with your life you deadbeat piece of shit!!!!!"

Todd was taken aback by what his 8 year old son had said. The first thing that caught him off guard was that his young son had used such profanity and the second thing was that he had no idea how to respond to those words. He thought for a minute and came up with a response.

"Milton, where did you hear those words?"

Milton looked at his dad and without skipping a beat he replied with.

"Xbox Live."

Todd muttered under his breath, 'Those damn video games.' He then looked back at his son and asked what he had in mind on how to occupy his time.

Milton ran to the office and came back pushing a large box with some numbers written on the side. Todd saw the box and recalled what was in it, the start to his comic book collection.

"Well dad, since you love comic book why not open a store?"

Todd thought about the idea for a sec and realized that with all of the new games that had been surfacing in various game stores. He also knew that the nearest game store was about 600 miles away. The town they lived in had a decent sized population and there were a few other towns nearby that had moderate populations. So Todd put down his bottle, cleaned up his act and showed his son the idea for the gaming hub that would reach thousands.

Todd and Milton began looking for the perfect place to host their shop. After looking at a few different locations, they settled on a larger space that had many unsuccessful businesses. The landlord was hesitant to make a deal with Todd as the other businesses had been more common place and had failed to prosper so what hope did a game shop have. Luckily, Todd had been a businessman and convinced the landlord to let them stay for a year and if they failed then they would move out.

Todd made sure to get all of his documentation in order and began to order their inventory and decorations. Within three months, Todd and Milton had successfully opened their store, the Graveyard. The Graveyard had a slow opening but as word spread of the game store people flocked to it from all over the county and even some from other counties.

"Wow dad, we did it. People can enjoy all their hobbies and we can share our hobbies with other people."

Todd hadn't seen Milton smile so much since his wife had been alive but he knew that if it wasn't for Milton, he would never have been so lucky to have this dream come true. The piece de resistance for the store was a comic book that was put in a special shadow box for all to admire. The comic was old, almost 100 years old, but it was the most expensive item in the store because of how rare it was. Many customers had offered to buy the comic but Todd had all turned them down.

Milton was told long ago, "No matter what happens Milton, promise me you won't ever sell that comic. It's very important to me and one day it will be yours. That comic is the only one of its kind."

Milton never forget those words as a kid and he remembered them into his teens. The popularity of the Graveyard also grew as Milton had and he soon felt the effects of it on the town. The last name Graves was well known throughout the town, the county and even the state. People had poured so much money and time into the Graveyard that many businesses even paid Todd to advertise some of the businesses in the shop.

Todd, being the businessman that he was, couldn't say no and this allowed for more funding to be brought into the Graveyard which allowed for events, like MtG tournaments and charity events, to take place. Milton also became popular in the store because puberty had hit him pretty hard. He had always been on the taller side as well as being built like a twig but his love of comic books inspired him to be look like a super hero. He started training intensely and he grew taller, by his senior year of high school he was 6'5" and around 240 lbs.

"Hey Milton, are you gonna stay after school and play some rugby on the pitch?"

"Nah, not today. I gotta go help out at the Graveyard."

"Alright, catch ya later Tombstone."

Tombstone, the ever so popular nickname that the students had given Milton due to his association with the Graveyard and his size. Milton had become well liked by his peers and he had learned about business from helping his dad run the store. The store had been expanded three times and almost covered an acre of land. Milton had become somewhat of a poster boy for the store and had even dressed up as some superheroes for kids birthday parties. He had never mind it because he knew that he was spreading joy and laughter to those around him.

While Milton had been an athlete and got good grades in school, he always knew that he wanted to help his dad run the store full time. The store was successful but it had a few issues. The store was in a very prime location to build a large business office on and many CEOs had come to Todd and offered him large sums of money to buy the store and all the land it came with. However, Todd made a promise to himself, Milton and his deceased wife that he would never sell the store to anyone. Milton had taken the same oath and swore upon his mother's grave that he would never sell the store. However, there was another issue with the store in the form of a comic book.

Actually, it was the comic book. That rare comic book had been discovered a plethora of collectors who wanted it and tried many different ways to get it. Todd has poured a lot of many just to protect it and collectors had stopped for awhile but he knew one day that they would try to get it. The last issue was a man named Stick. Stick had gone to pawn shops and several book stores to buy comic books and then try to flip them at the Graveyard. However, Todd and Milton knew if a comic book was worth any money and Stick would always complain about how unfair they were. Stick was a notorious drug addict and he always tried to make enough money for his next fix.

A/N: Sorry for using this troupe but you know the story goes.

One day Stick was over all the bullshit that Todd and Milton had put him through and he decided enough was enough. He came in one day with a stack of comics and what looked like a game books.

"What can I help you with this time Stick?"

"Oh nothing much, say did I ever tell you how I got my nickname?"

"No, I don't thin-"

Todd made the classic comic book mistake of never reading between the lines as Stick had stuck Todd with a butterfly knife. Milton wasn't at the store yet as he was on his way from school. As Stick hopped the counter to break into the cash register he heard the door chime.

'Ding ding'

"Hey dad, I'm here. Did we get that new pack of Yugioh cards yet?"

Milton then saw the scene that was ripped straight from the comics he loved. His father was lying on the floor bleeding out and Stick was trying to open the register. Then, all Milton saw was red and sprinted towards the register. His massive hand went for Stick's throat and Milton pulled him over the counter.

"You sick fucking little piece of shit. What did you do to my dad?!"

"H-hi M-milton, I-i was just trying to sell some comics."

"Don't play that bullshit with me. If he doesn't make it through this, then you're gonna change your name to Thomas Wayne."

Milton let the druggy go and called 911. While Milton was trying to save his dad, Stick ran out the back, down the side alley and was never heard from again. Sadly, Todd succumbed to his wound at the hospital and the whole town closed down to mourn the loss of the man who had strengthened their community. The landlord cut a deal with Milton that the rent would be taken care of and the other store owners in the town had actually pitched in to help support the store. Milton had been offered a free ride by many colleges for his academics and athletics but he turned them all down so he could run the Graveyard.

7 years later...

Milton had graduated high school and took over the Graveyard. It certainly hadn't died in popularity and while the customer base had changed a bit it was still a hangout for many comic book lovers.

"Harley Quinn is the best supervillain in Batman's rogues."

"Bitch please, Catwoman is the best. She would easily beat Harley Quinn."

Both of the young boys, Julius and Thomas ran to Milton in order to settle their argument.

"Milton, who's better Catwoman or Harley Quinn?"

"Well boys, its actually a suggestive question. It's really a matter of who you think is better. Plus other people's opinions about your favorite things don't mean shit."

"Wow."

"But you're both wrong, Poison Ivy is the best."

Before both boys had the chance to argue, Milton pointed to the live sized cardboard cut out of Pamela Isley aka Poison Ivy. The boys looked at each other and found the owners logic quite sound.

'Oh the naivety of children, how I miss it.'

Milton had managed to stay strong and persevere in maintaining the Graveyard for the past 7 years on his own. He hadn't hired any employees because he found it hard to trust people and he wanted to maintain his father's legacy. He had put on weight since he had graduated and taken over the story but he was still plenty strong. However, there was someone watching the store. Watching and waiting for the perfect moment.

Later that night...

Milton was closing up the Graveyard for the night when the door chime went off.

'Ding ding'

"Sorry, we're closing up for the night."

"You can't even stay open for an old friend?"

'That voice, it can't be.'

"Stick, you finally showed your little rat ass back here."

When Milton turned around to face the murderer something caught his eye. A glass bottle with a rag sticking out of it in one hand and a lighter in the other.

"Stick, put that fucking bottle down now or I will break your neck."

"C'mon Milton, you think I didn't learn anything from all those comic books? Whenever the parent dies, always make sure to kill the kid so they can't take revenge."

While Milton didn't look athletic anymore, he was plenty fast and he rushed Stick. However, Stick was smart and flicked his lighter. The next thing that was seen was the glass bottle with a flaming rag go up in the air and Milton slamming Stick into the ground. It all happened so quickly but Milton was strangling Stick with his bare hands as the bottle fell to the ground. When Stick's breath finally stopped, Milton was too late as the bottle hit the ground and the store started to burn. The fire extinguisher was in the back room and by the time Milton had gotten it, the fire was far too big to extinguish. The only thing he could think of was the comic. Milton scrambled to get his drill and remove the shadow box from the wall.

When the comic was finally free, Milton turned towards the door but the fire had gotten so crazy that there was no escaping through the front doors. Milton ran towards the back door but he forget that he had already locked it. The only Milton could do was go to the ground in the fetal position and clutch the shadowbox waiting for the smoke and fire to end him. For a second, he felt the burn of the fire on his skin and smoke in his lungs and then everything faded to black.

The Graveyard had burned down in the night and when morning came, the town could only see the horror that had befell the store. Stick's body was recovered, tagged and put into a grave but the remains of the Graveyard had been cleared and the lot had become a memorial to Milton and his parents. The town had gone silent and it slowly began to fade off the map. Although the town slowly began to die, the memorial still stood to honor the Graves and what they had done.

Somewhere else...

Milton suddenly awoke in an alley surrounded by old cardboard boxes and trash. He still had the shadow box albeit a little damaged from the smoke and fire. He tried to get a bearing on his surroundings but a loud crash had broken him out of it. He ran towards the noise even though he knew that was a fucking terrible idea and he saw something he never thought he'd ever see in his life.

He saw...