A Splatterpunk story by David Benton and W.D. Gagliani, co-authors of the collection MYSTERIES & MAYHEM (and the story "Mood Elevator," which is also available as a separate ebook). "Love At First Sting" (4600 words) first appeared in the UK magazine SPLATTERPUNK HORROR (2012). This is the story's first appearance in the US. A contract killer fulfills his grisly mission, only to have his employer complain the target isn't dead. Mr. Walker knows he killed Mr. Fenning's wife—the unspeakable things he did to her are not to be denied. So why is Mr. Fenning calling him in a panic? Mr. Walker has no choice but to check it out. And maybe he'll have to silence Mr. Fenning, too. WARNING: This story contains extreme violence and is intended for adults only. About the Authors David Benton is a published short horror story author and also the touring bass player for the heavy metal parody band Beatallica. His collaborations with Bram Stoker award-nominated author W.D. Gagliani can be found in the e-book collection: Mysteries & Mayhem, as well as anthologies such as Malpractice: An Anthology of Bedside Terror. Current projects include a zombie novel (co-written with W.D. Gagliani and Bram Stoker award-winning author John Everson) and a battle of the classic monsters (co-written with Gagliani and rising star Mark Zirbel). W.D. Gagliani is the author of the horror-thrillers Wolf's Trap (finalist for the Bram Stoker Award in 2004), Wolf's Gambit, Wolf's Bluff, Wolf's Edge (Samhain Publishing), and the hard-noir thriller Savage Nights. Samhain has also recently reissued Wolf's Trap as both ebook and trade paperback. He has published fiction and nonfiction in numerous anthologies, magazines, and online publications, and he has been an active book reviewer since 1986. With collaborator David Benton he has published the adult horror, suspense, mystery, and erotica story collection, Mysteries & Mayhem, and short stories in various anthologies including Dark Passions: Hot Blood 13. Recent publications include an article on Wilbur Smith in the book Thrillers: 100 Must Reads (edited by Morrell & Wagner), an article on writing zombies in Writing Zombies! (Rymfire Books), and an article on writing werewolf fiction in the October 2011 issue of The Writer magazine. He is a member of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), the International Thriller Writers (ITW), and the Authors Guild. He has just sold a 5th Nick Lupo horror-thriller, WOLF'S CUT, to Samhain Publishing.