Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

The Acquaintance by Kealan Patrick Burke does not mess around.   I picked this up when it was free, and it is a short, sweet, tension filled story, with absolutely no supernatural elements.   No, this is a story of horror that is completely plausible, and far more tense for that fact.  

This is a story of injustice, and long-awaited revenge.  

The ending is absolute brilliance.  Why not five stars, then?   It just didn't hit all the right spots for me; I can't see myself rereading it as I do Clive Barker's stories.   I can very much see why Burke has the fan base he does, though!

Two lines of note:

"What I was, was dismayed."  

This felt awkward to me, although it was the only thing that did in the story.   

"The first pint already had bumblebees droning lazily around my skull."

Other than my initial reaction, this is just a lovely, poetic line that I adore.   I love poetry in my horror and if Burke had more of these gems, this would have been one of those reread/favorites for me. 

Also, if you're curious, my initial reaction was, of course, Bee!   Loves Bee!

PS - this review isn't longer because I can't say anything about this story without spoiling it.