I snorted softly. "You expect me to believe that you came to town looking for a cure? I'm not stupid, Zander. There is no cure. There never will be." "Oh there is," he assured, staring right at me. "There has been for years." ---- Decontaminated. Deflowered. Defunct. Cadence Laurence has suffered pain and humiliation at the hands of the town committee, but the saving grace of her torture means nothing when her brother, Alex, and his girlfriend, Kitty break the rules for the last time. Now the only place they have left to go is on the run in the unforgiving Wastelands, a place where sand spiders and the Infected become the least of their problems when Cady's ex-lover escapes her darkened past and deepens their plight with an agenda of his own. Dodging Wastelanders out for blood and Kitty's father determined for revenge, can Cadence avoid a bite from the Infected long enough to save her two wards and escape or will her ex-lover's plans destroy them all? Warning: Mature content with reference to criminal, adult-themed acts that may serve as triggers. A novel of 51,160 words.