Drastic Measures Anthology

Featuring stories by such venerable authors as George Clayton Johnson (Ocean’s Eleven, Logan’s Run) and a forward by David Mack (The 4400), this anthology of short fiction is about people pushed to their limit, who are forced to reach deep within to find resources they never dreamed they possessed. The collection is a diverse grouping of stories, featuring everything from daily life to the supernatural. Seeking Redemption, written by Michelle D. Keyes, is about a sister who pays for the drastic measures of her past.

ASIN: 0983006407	Drastic Measures     Product Type: Book
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Excerpt of Seeking Redemption by Michelle D. Keyes

My sister stood on the doorstep, suitcase in hand. Since our family reunion last year, she had changed her pink spiky hair to a midnight black. It hung disheveled and tangled down to her shoulders. Black makeup caked her lips and ringed her eyes. Wafer-thin and pale, she reminded me of a hungry dog left out in the rain.

I moved aside and watched as she stepped across the threshold. Closing the door, I turned to face her. “What are you doing here, Bea?”

She stood for a long moment and the silence grew larger. It crept into all the nooks and crannies of my tiny apartment, an almost visible presence.

“I’m sorry.” She wet her lips and looked at the floor. “I didn’t know where else to go.”

I noticed my apartment now contained a new smell; dank, musty, like the contents of a closet in an abandoned hundred-year-old house. Her dirty black clothes hung off her as though they’d been draped over a wire hanger.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

Beatrice sighed, a shuddering exhale full of sorrow and defeat. “A lot.”

Seeing the sadness in her face, I realized how little she resembled the carefree younger sister I used to know. What happened to the pig-tailed girl who ran up to me after school, eager to share stories about our day?

I shook my head as I took the suitcase from her. One hand on her shoulder, I guided her toward the bathroom. “Since you’re here, why don’t you take a hot shower? I have some clothes you can wear.” Bea nodded and disappeared into the bathroom.

I gathered some clothes and a fresh towel out of my closet and laid them on the bathroom counter. In the kitchen I busied myself with wiping the counters and stove. Concerns bombarded me. What the hell’s she gotten into now? How am I going to tell Mom?

Excerpt of Snow by Melissa Lyons

“Can you please give me a ride? I’m only a few blocks away.” The words tumbled from between her numb lips and she sounded as desperate as she was.

He smiled. “Well, sure. I didn’t pull over just to look at you.” He winked then laughed. “C’mon in. You’ve gotta be freezing.” His fingers pressed a button in the inside of his door causing the passenger side to unlock with an audible click. The girl smiled back, briefly but gratefully, and did not
hesitate to make her way around the SUV. She opened the door and stepped up inside, shutting it happily behind her, and as she settled into her seat the man turned on the ignition. The car responded evenly and growled to a start. The girl felt comfortable immediately.

“Do you usually get into cars with strange men?” He asked, turning his head to meet her eyes. She couldn’t help but notice how green his were and a friendly humor lay underneath the question. She wasn’t offended.

“Always. What else is there to do in this town?” She grinned, taking off her gloves and placing her hands, palms forward, in front of the heater. It was on full blast and felt delicious.

“Ah, so you’re a risk taker then?” He asked, shifting the gear into reverse and stepping softly on the gas pedal, barely tapping it the way people guard against black ice. The car curved backward and once it was in the center of the road, he shifted the gear to park, and let the engine idle. He
looked at her expectantly.

And it was then that she became aware of an unspeakably deep force piercing through the eyes she’d hardly glanced at before. The girl felt her heart skip a beat but wasn’t sure why. Nervousness, intimidation, or possibly fear? Her mind automatically took hurried notes of the features before her. Tanned skin, eyes that were more olive than green, full lips, a slight stubble of brown hair along his jaw line—which was strong—and his eyebrows naturally arched. He had a slim body but it was clear that he was also at least somewhat muscular, and the girl lowered her gaze to his wrist, which was exposed. The hairs along his arm were as deep a shade as the ones on his head, which dangled carelessly next to his cheeks, almost reaching his broad shoulders. And, oddly enough, she noticed that his breath smelt like peppermint.

“I’d hardly consider this a risk. If it was then my life must be very boring,” she responded.

“If your life were boring then how would you change it?” He asked, leaning back into the seat.

The girl shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s not, so I don’t have to think about it.” She wasn’t sure where the conversation was going and the question had made her uneasy. The way in which he’d asked had a certain note of playfulness to it but also intensity. That same energy she’d seen in his eyes...daring and overt. Unpredictable and confusing.

He cocked his head to the side and looked up, as though pondering something important, then pressed his lips together. “No, you’re life is definitely boring.” In one sudden movement he put the car in drive and started down the street. She hadn’t told him where she lived and he was going
in the opposite direction.

“We’re going the wrong way.” The girl said meekly.

“Where did you want me to take you?”

“My house. It’s on Sixteenth Ave so you have to turn around.”

“I have to turn around...” His voice trailed off.

The girl’s body went completely still. She was horrified. She’d made possibly the dumbest and most obvious mistake a single woman, walking alone at night could make. And now, if he chose, she would be trapped. Her mind swirled in a panic of thoughts that only served to twist around one
another and trip and fall. She had never been good at staying calm in bad situations and, she understood fully, that this was indeed a very, very bad situation.

She cleared her throat. “I can just get out and walk. I don’t mind.” She placed a trembling hand on the door latch. Tiny fingers curled around the handle.

“In this weather? But it’s so awfully cold out. And you’d be so awfully vulnerable out there alone.” His voice dripped with sarcasm although his expression remained thoughtful.

“I wouldn’t be as vulnerable as you think.”

“Why not?” He asked, throwing her a feigned look of innocence.
“Because I always keep a knife on me.” It was the first response that came to mind and also a lie. She hoped he would believe it.

He nodded. “Smart.” He patted his jeans pocket, the right side, closest to her. “Me too. It’s a good way to protect yourself against violent predators.”