The Desert Standoff

have very little choice. This is something that he must do. He has to right this wrong. The company will not be forgiving of this action that he has to take. He cannot afford for them to find out about this and send somebody else to finish this case because he was unable to do it the first time; he must accomplish this. This young woman is dead because of him and only him. This young woman never should have died in this way, she shouldn’t have been abused in this way. He must atone for this.
Nathan turns on his car, too angry to feel the cool rush of air coming in through the vents that, moments ago, was the only thing he wanted. He needs to go back to his room and get this started. He needs to finish this. Once and for all.

  2 Natalie
T his is exactly what she needs. The music is so loud in this club that she can feel the vibrations in her feet. The sound waves rattle up her high heels and through the bones in her legs until she can feel the beat pulsing in time with her heart. Liquor and adrenaline are coursing through her veins to the point where the lights that are strobing from the ceiling feel like they are taking up all of the empty spaces left in her body; at the same time, they are blurred and slanty looking as if her eyes are constantly half closed. Her cheeks ache from smiling so long. Her throat feels raw from screaming to the beat of the music during the sparse times that actual lyrics are interjected into the song. They probably wouldn’t make any sort of sense to her if she was still sober, but she is drunk enough not to bother caring where they are or what might happen tomorrow.
The only thing that matters to her right now is that her hands are clasped happily in those of her best friend, Suzi, and that the pair of them are dancing in a contented, drunken mess in the middle of the dance floor. Their movements are awkward and clunky. They are bouncing around without much in the way of rhythm, but it is obvious that the pair of them are having far more fun than anybody else in the entire room.
The club they have chosen is one of three that caters to the college crowd on the weekends. Oh, they are open the rest of the week days as well, but it isn’t nearly as much fun, and normally nobody even shows up. This club in particular has attempted to host all sorts of things during the week to make sure they have some sort of revenue coming in, but as this is hardly a party college that it chose to open up shop next to, usually the student body is far too studious to bother with it, though Natalie thinks that if Suzi could get away with it she would come here every night. It’s a shame she’s all awkward angles and elbows whenever she dances because she loves it so much. Suzi says that she should like to never have to do anything else at all if she could only just keep dancing. Honestly, Natalie thinks that if her friend was granted any wish in the whole wide world it would be that she could be a professional dancer. Suzi has never been the materialistic kind. She does what she likes, when she likes. She has always been a very warm and kind person. Natalie has known her for years now and can honestly say that she doesn’t think she’s ever seen her friend sitting totally still for any amount of time.
Suzi is the classic girl next door type. She’s an excellent baker and puts her heart into everything. She is honest and open with her emotions. She doesn’t like to take no for an answer whenever she really finds something that she feels strongly about. She stands at about five foot four with a soft frame. She has long sandy blonde hair that falls in natural beach waves to her waist. She would never claim to be athletic and doesn’t really have the endurance to run for long periods of time. Her soft features mark her as a classical beauty. Natalie often took to making her dandelion crowns early in their friendship because they just looked like they suited a girl like Suzi. While she is clearly older now, she has a youthful beauty that just seems like it will pass the test of time. Natalie considers herself to be her friend's opposite in many ways. While she too has a rather pale complexion that is prone to burning violently with even the slightest sun exposure, Natalie looks like the glassy surface of a pond. Her hair is a dark ebony and her cheeks and lips a constant flushed pink. She is slightly taller than Suzi in that she stands at five foot five but looks like she could knock somebody out with a correctly aimed punch. She gives off the air that she can hold her own. Somebody with a scrappier background despite the fact that her first glance impression is that she is made of glass.
They are an unlikely pairing, though tonight, with Natalie wearing almost head to toe items from Suzi’s closet, they seem to make more sense. Natalie would never purchase anything this tight for herself. It’s rare that she allows herself to be in a vulnerable position. She’s a natural protector so being drunk at the same time as her friend, instead of attempting to just chaperone, marks tonight as a very important celebration indeed. Normally she’s not the outgoing type, but both girls have allowed all of the handsome men to purchase them drinks over the course of the evening without much thought. Normally they are more careful. Perhaps they