Scarcity Saints

The rusted bones of the American Midwest whisper tales of a fallen world.  Global trade has crumbled, leaving behind a patchwork of isolated kingdoms clinging to life through a fragile barter system.  For nineteen-year-old Maeve Calloway, survival is a daily hustle.  A runner with lightning-fast reflexes and razor-sharp instincts, she trades scavenged tech and precious heirloom seeds for the insulin keeping her younger brother, Liam, alive. But Maeve's precarious existence shatters when a cryptic ledger falls into her hands, revealing a chilling network that trades in human lives.  The ledger becomes her guide, pulling her into a dark world of exploitation and forcing her to confront the architects of this cruel new order. Charismatic preacher Thorne offers solace and salvation, building a fervent following on promises of hope. But beneath the veneer of healing lies a hunger for power, his sermons a currency for control.  Meanwhile, pragmatic chemist Mira holds the key to the region's dwindling insulin supply, her ruthlessness born from a desperate calculus of survival. Caught between Thorne's seductive manipulation and Mira's cold pragmatism, Maeve must navigate a treacherous landscape of shifting alliances.  A brutal enforcer stalks her every move.  An enigmatic information broker deals in whispers and secrets.  And a grizzled mechanic offers a lifeline, a connection to a network hidden within the fractured kingdoms. As Maeve unravels the conspiracy, she discovers that neutrality is complicity, and silence is a form of violence.  Fueled by a fierce love for her brother and a dawning sense of justice, she orchestrates a series of daring raids, disrupting the human trade and sowing seeds of rebellion. But her actions threaten to ignite a full-blown war, forcing her to confront an impossible choice: her brother's life or the lives of countless others. In a world where humanity itself is a commodity, Maeve must decide what she's willing to sacrifice. Will her courage ignite a revolution or consume everything she holds dear?  Dive into the fractured world of *Scarcity Saints* and witness the birth of a new order forged in the fires of rebellion.