A furious; queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. "A long; sustained scream to the various strains of anti-transgender legislation multiplying around the world like; well; a virus." —The New York Times INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him—the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world’s population. Desperately; he searches for a place where the cult can’t get their hands on him; or more importantly; on the bioweapon they infected him with. But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction; Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center; affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC’s leader; Nick; is gorgeous; autistic; and a deadly shot; and he knows Benji’s darkest secret: the cult’s bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all. Still; Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens; as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong; Benji accepts Nick’s terms…until he discovers the ALC’s mysterious leader has a hidden agenda; and more than a few secrets of his own. Perfect for fans of Gideon the Ninth and Annihilation. A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year A William C. Morris Award Finalist A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year A Booklist Editors' Choice Selection A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book Named to the ALA Rainbow Roundtable's Rainbow Book List "A defining voice of our generation." –H.E. Edgmon; author of The Witch King "Hands down the best YA horror book I've read." –Aden Polydoros; author of The City Beautiful "A chimera of horror; romance; and something stranger." –Rose Szabo; author of What Big Teeth "A timely and riveting tale." –Ray Stoeve; author of Between Perfect and Real