“This may sound rather odd,” Chase spoke up while Troy was still touching Simon’s head everywhere. “But I’m wondering where we are.”

Troy chuckled. “I’ve told you. We’re inside the motorhome that belongs to my fellow hunters and me.”

Chase sighed loudly. “I mean, what country are we in?”

Troy raised his eyebrows slightly before he glanced at Chase. “The United States of America.”

“City?” Chase persisted.

Troy appeared to be taken aback. “We are stopping for the evening in one of the wastelands that’s approximately thirty miles away from safe zone number one. We’re more than seventy miles away from safe zone number two. There are three checkpoints in between the safe zones, but my fellow hunters and I don’t usually stop there unless we have to refuel, stock up on food, or report on something urgent and important.”

“I have no idea what you were talking about,” Simon admitted. “What are safe zones and checkpoints? Can’t you just tell us what city we’re at?”

“I can’t,” Troy replied.

“Why not?”

“Because there’s no such thing as a city anymore,” Troy answered Chase’s question. “Or a town for that matter. Didn’t you guys learn history in school? In the year 2522, the asteroids --”

“What?” Chase and Simon interrupted at the same time.

Troy snickered. “Why do you look so shocked? Five hundred years ago, the asteroids destroyed everything. Well, nearly everything.”

Simon stared at Troy in disbelief for a second or two. “What year is it now?”

Troy stepped away from Simon. “It’s 3022.”

“No fucking way!” Chase exclaimed. “Is that a fucking joke or something?”

Troy turned toward Chase. “No. Why --”

“Chase and I come ... I mean, we came from the year 2022.”

Troy snickered. “Ha! Ha! Funny.”

Simon gazed into Troy’s eyes. “I wasn’t pulling your leg.”

Troy’s facial expression became much more serious. He darted his eyes back and forth between Chase and Simon. Then he gaped for a moment before he plopped ass-first onto the empty bed behind him.

“You were telling the truth, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” Chase and Simon confirmed simultaneously.

“This whole thing sounds crazy.”

Chase snorted at Troy. “I’m more astonished than you.”

“So am I,” Simon added. “I don’t understand exactly how Chase and I got here.”

“Were there any time-travel machines back then?”

Simon was amused. “No.”

“This doesn’t make any sense. How did you make the journey into the future without --”

“The necklace,” Chase shouted all of a sudden, and Simon gasped at the reminder.

“Oh! That’s right. That must be it.”

“Is it the necklace with the crystal pendant?” Troy inquired while frowning at Chase and Simon.

“It’s ...” Then Chase trailed off after raising both of his hands and noticing that he wasn’t holding anything. “Where’s the necklace?”

“It’s with Brody,” Troy replied. “Let me call for Brody and Mason. They’re my fellow hunters and also my boyfriends. If I remember correctly, Brody was the one who carried you here, and Mason took care of Simon. I’ll be right back with them.”

After that, Troy rushed out from the room before neither Simon nor Chase could utter a single word in response. Once they were left alone in the room, Simon looked at Chase.

“Does it feel like you’re in the twilight zone or something?”

Chase chuckled while nodding. “Absolutely. I’m aware that this is happening for real, but it also feels so surreal at the same time.”

“I know, right?”

“Yeah.”

Simon was going to inquire about the state of Chase’s health and if his boyfriend was injured anywhere, but he didn’t get the opportunity to do so because Troy returned to the room with two other men in tow. The two newcomers also had impressively muscular bodies, especially the shorter one among them, who would have been much more handsome if he wasn’t scowling and giving off this rather unapproachable vibe.

“This is Mason Kirk,” Troy introduced the man with the rather unfriendly facial expression before pointing at the other one. “And that’s Brody Fisher.”

Brody grinned at Chase and Simon. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Hey,” Mason greeted with a grunt, and then he was quiet.

Chase often teased Simon for being shy and quiet. However, at the very least, Simon did his best to be nice to people. Mason, on the other hand, would never win the Mr. Congeniality award. Ever. He seemed so cold, aloof, and antisocial. The frigid weather would feel warm and comforting by comparison.