Wanderers (1st Draft)

Pahrump

James

Once everyone gets to the bar, James goes inside to pay the bar's owner. When he comes out everyone has mounted their horses. Everyone except for Alice. She stands in front of his horse, staring up at it. She looks a little nervous. There were no extra horses for her to ride, so she has to ride with James. That was fine with him, but she didn't seem to like it that well.

"You ever been on a horse before?" James asks coming up behind her. She turns to look at him and shakes her head. "It's easy, kind of like flying. Plus, I'll be doing all the hard work, all you have to do is hang on."

She looks back at the horse. "Okay."

"You..." James hesitates for a moment. "You need help up?"

Alice laughs. "Yes, I'm short, and yes I need help up. Thank you."

James gives her a leg up and she swings into the saddle.

"Where are you going to sit?" She asks looking down at him.

"Behind you. We're going to have to get a little close." Noticing she's biting her lip he adds. "Otherwise you'll have to ride the horse by yourself, or walk."

She looks down at the horse then says. "Fine. But if you try anything I'm pushing you off. While we're moving."

James smiles. "Deal." He puts one foot in the stirrup and pulls himself up. He can feel Alice stiffens as he slides into the saddle behind her.

  Alice 

When James said close he meant close. Alice can feel the rise and fall of his chest against her back as he breathes. She, on the other hand, can barely breathe. She forces herself not to panic.

"You two ready to go yet?" Rixton asks impatiently. He sits on his horse a few feet away from them.

"Yes." James says. Alice can hear a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Rixton nudges his horse forward.  Jackson and Mason follow him. James reaches his right hand around Alice and grabs a hold of the reigns. The horse starts moving, and she grips the horn of the saddle.

As the horse speed up Alice involuntarily leans back against James. He grabs a hold of the horn, below her hands, forming a barrier around her. She relaxes a little, feeling less likely to fall off. After twenty minutes into the ride she's lost most of her nervousness. She's still jittery because of her closeness to James, but not so much that she can't enjoy the wind in her hair. She raises her arms out to the side and smiles.

"Feels like flying, right?" James says into her ear. She nods her head.

A town looms up in the distance, the sun setting behind it.

"Welcome to Pahrump." James says dismounting the horse. He turns around and offers Alice help down from the horse. She slides off into his arms and he lowers her to the ground.

"Pahrump? What kind of name is that?" Alice asks James.

"It was the town's original name. It's from the word Pah-Rimpi, which means Water Rock. It was given the name after the artesian wells in the valley. This is where Las Vegas gets most of its water." He says.

"And you sure Snake won't find us here?" She asks looking around.

"He has no idea which way we went once we left the casino and there are ten... fifteen towns surrounding the city. He won't find us. And besides we won't be here long." James says.

Rixton and the others wait on the porch of the town's hotel. Alice and James walk over to them and Mason leads the way inside. Walking into the hotel is like walking into another time period. The inside is decorated with renaissance style paintings and furniture. A brass chandelier hangs down in the center of the foyer. Mason walks to the front desk. He talks to the lady behind it for a minute before turning back to the others.