Eighteen years ago, the apocalypse hit. And me? I was the child of God—the one and only "angel" of Ark Bunker, the last shelter on Earth. I ate the freshest canned food and slept on the softest bed. I didn't have to work like the others. All I had to do was put on a pretty dress, pray somewhere quiet—and just like that, no monster dared come within miles of Ark Bunker. Everyone treated me like glass. They'd do anything to keep me safe. Then the old chief magistrate stepped down and handed the reins to his daughter. She was all about "equality." She'd hated me for a long time—saw me as nothing but a mistress her father kept. On her first day in charge, she sent my protection team out for supplies. Then she had me strung up high above a sea of crawling monsters. "You said monsters stay away because of you," she said. "Let's find out if that's true." I clawed at the ropes. My dress tore; my thighs were scraped raw and bleeding. "Please," I said, "just get me a new dress—or I'll lose my power. If my power goes away, Ark Bunker will fall. Everyone will die." She just laughed, then nodded toward the men beside her. They lunged at me, pinned me down, and ripped my dress to shreds in front of everyone. The moment my skin was exposed to the open air, they lost their minds with regret.