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The ride to the ranch was a bit more bearable than Lucia expected, with the hippie calming down. The way the girl talked, however, was incredibly unsettling to Lucy. She mentioned her family, and how they just had to meet the other daughters and sons. Cliff seemed to be relaxed, his hand still softly enveloping Lucia's much to his delight. The feeling of her palm against his blocked all of the girl's rambling from his mind. Lucia listened as the hippie girl ranted, and wondered what waited for them at the movie ranch abandoned years ago.
Cliff hardly had to think about the route to his former place of employment, and they arrived much quicker than any of them realized. Lucia slipped her hand out of Cliff's and carefully opened the car door. Her heels hit the sandy Californian ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. She squinted in the bright light and tossed her hair over her shoulder as she looked around. Stray dogs and abandoned set pieces littered the area. Lucia looked at Cliff at the other side of the car. He shrugged.
Lucia felt a hand grab her wrist and she turned to see the hippie girl, who grinned. She pulled her forward. Lucia sent an alarmed look to Cliff. The hippie girl looked over her shoulder at him and shot her other open hand out.
"Come on!" she invited.
Cliff shared a look with Lucia and slowly stepped forward. He set his hand in the hippie girl's palm, and she immediately turned on her heels to lead them further into the ranch. As they made their way, Lucia grew increasingly worried. Young men and women peaked out of doors and windows at the new arrivals. Their eyes were hollow, their gazes unwavering. Lucia gulped and felt her hands grow sweaty. A few motorcycles leaned against the buildings. A girl was slung on a pair of saloon doors nearby.
"Where the hell is everybody?" the hippie girl muttered to herself. She caught sight of the woman on the porch and called out. "Hey, where's Gypsy?"
"She's down by the chop shop," the young woman replied.
The hippie girl nodded and slipped her hands out of Lucia and Cliff's. Lucia immediately wiped her palms on her jeaned thighs and looked around nervously. Cliff tucked his hands in his back pockets, but noticed. He sent her a tight-lipped smile and set a warm hand on her upper back. He rubbed soft circles into her skin. Lucia looked up at him with wide eyes, but she calmed. She didn't know how he remained so composed in situations like this. Her lips pulled into a small smile, however, and she nodded. They would be okay.
"Hey, lovebirds. Let's go!" the hippie girl called.
Cliff and Lucia shared a look but they complied. Cliff's hand slipped away from her bare shoulder. They walked a little bit longer through the abandoned town before the hippie girl began leaping in her spot. She shot her hand in the air and waved it around to catch someone's attention. Lucia looked to find a heavier woman approaching with shoulder length hair and a rather beautiful linen dress.
