Steps (July 20, 2009. Issue 7.)

If the singer Eddy Cochrane is to be  believed there are three steps to heaven and, according to the tenents of Alchoholics Anonymous, the sum total of twelve steps are needed in order to set someone on  the path to freedeom from addiction.

Unfortunately for Melissa, however, no matter how many steps she took she never seemed to be able to free herself from the financial and emotional burden that was her husband, Keith, as  every path she went down seemed to come to a dead end.

Until she met Alison, that is, the effect of which was akin to that of lightening hitting a plane.

Before meeting Alison, Melissa  had barely been scuffed by the wear and tear of life but, as Autumn trudged on into Winter, Alison and Melissa's meetings became more frequent and murderous thoughts hovered over them like a hawk ready to strike it’s prey.

Night was melting into day as they smashed Keith's brains out on the doorstep producing a more than passable Rorschach test.

'One Step Beyond!' said Melissa, with a glint in her eye and a spring in her step.