NINE | Desperate Measures

In Desperate Measures, Nataly Collins, a young woman on the run with her four-year-old half-sister, Nova, navigates the perilous edge of survival after fleeing an abusive ex, Ken. Branded a kidnapper by an Amber Alert, Nataly teams up with Brandon, a fugitive convict, as they race toward safe houses in a stolen Toyota Camry. At a bustling Nevada rest stop, Nataly’s resolve is tested when Brandon pushes her to steal a woman’s ID to secure a hotel room, forcing her to confront her moral boundaries. As she grapples with guilt over betraying an innocent stranger, Brandon’s unexpected empathy and strategic cunning challenge her perceptions of right and wrong. Their partnership, fraught with tension and fleeting moments of attraction, deepens as they adopt aliases from The Nightmare Before Christmas to blend into the crowd. When a police car pulls up beside them, Nataly’s quick thinking leads to a bold, impulsive kiss to shield Brandon from recognition, escalating their dangerous game. Desperate Measures explores the blurred lines between morality and survival, as Nataly fights to protect Nova while wrestling with her evolving identity and the magnetic pull of her unlikely ally in a high-stakes escape.