Bend it Like Oregon

131.

"The universe hates me, there can be no other explanation of this." The city of Bend was empty, or translocated or not on this world as it existed. Trezlan didn't know for sure, he only knew his own dumbassery had once again screwed him. He'd been wandering around down town for what felt like a day and nothing had changed. Everything was empty, everyone was gone, and there was no way of leaving. Anytime Trezlan attempted to leave he'd return back to the town like he'd never attempted to escape. Bend was also immensely boring. The kind of place you accidentally stop in on the way to somewhere more interesting and woe be to you for stopping. Several rituals, lots of bloodletting, and even attempting to just burn the town down had failed to illicit a response. Trezlan was 100% stuck there, and now he had to hope for the one thing he didn't want initially, Gilbert to show up.

****

"Absolutely nothing in Bend."

"Well there has to be a town or something."

"I mean beyond that, no clubs, no activities, just some rando town in Oregon." Clarissa had looked it up on her phone. Gilbert figured there would be nothing, and he was proven right, just like most things in Oregon. The road to Bend was deserted. Just one long empty highway, this worried Gilbert more and more as they approached. He stopped when the GPS said they were twenty miles out.

"No traffic, either direction, its fucking spooky its midday."

"Well it is eastern Oregon."

"No this is unusual even for this part of a state. There should be someone coming or going, though I fear I noticed this too late, whatever is here has already gotten us. Look to the horizon and notice there is a vague fog in the distance? We're stuck here now."

"Shit."

"Don't worry this would happen eventually, this kind of shit tends to just exist in my life."

"Well its somewhat new to me Gilbert." Just then a car came speeding at them, Gilbert wondered if it had just been a slow day and they weren't trapped. Until the car stopped and Trezlan got out.

"OH THANK THE GODS YOU'RE HERE!"

****

"So that's where I'm at with all of this Gilbert." Trezlan had recounted everything he'd figured out up until that point.

"Impressive you've been here for hours and found out nothing Trezlan."

"Words hurt Gilbert."

"Would you two stop christ we've been here two days and you're still arguing." Clarissa's comment shook Trezlan and Gilbert, it had only be a few hours or so they thought.

"Clarissa what are you on about, we've been here less than an hour."

"Yeah I'd certainly remember arguing for two days."

"WE'VE LITERALLY HAD THIS CONVERSATION THE LAST TWO DAYS! LOOK AT YOURSELVES YOU'RE UNCLEAN SHAVEN!"

"There is no need to sh..." Clarissa yelled to the air and walked off, this conversation had played itself out several times over and it was driving her insane. Gilbert and Trezlan like a broken record went right back to what they'd been saying.