In the year 2184, the US is divided. Half the country has moved on with the rest of the world, while in middle America, the survivors of the terrorist biological attack that split the country struggle just to stay alive. Though a century has passed, few people brave going behind the borders meant to contain the danger. Even the privatized military is reluctant to do so.<br><br>But that doesn’t stop recently discharged Sullivan Eberle. Only one thing drives him anymore -- the need to find Raphael Hamada. He doesn’t know why. He only knows he must. If that means a lifetime behind the borders, then so be it.<br><br>Rafe Hamada ran away from the real world when he was still a kid. The last thing he wants is to be found, especially by a soldier who can’t even tell him why it was so important to locate him in the first place. He’d like nothing more than for Sullivan to leave, but turning his back on a man alone and friendless is against everything Rafe stands for ...

Penny Candles

“We let him go, we don’t know where he’ll end up,” Shorty mused.


Joe frowned. “What’re you saying? You don’t want to take him back with us, do you?”


Alarm shot through Sullivan. The last thing he needed was a bunch of civilians, ready to exact their personal brand of revenge because he happened to be handy. He’d been too careful about avoiding confrontation to get caught at this point.


When he took a step backward, ready to run, however, Leviticus growled and raised his hackles. He halted, stopped as effectively by the returned attention of both distrustful men.


“Look at him.” Shorty swept an age-mottled hand at Sullivan. “That mangy cat that keeps dumping dead rats on my doorstep looks better fed than he does.”


Chapter 4