As a child, Dune had learned to apologize before she learned to understand what she had done wrong. Kama’s temper was daunting. Dune’s only responsibility was to apologize, to say she was sorry, to look sorry, to even be sorry for the mysterious wrong thing she had done. Kama had later apologized for teaching her this and encouraged her to always cultivate her own sense of right and wrong. But now Dune pulled her knees to her chest and yearned to be a child. She wanted to be able to apologize without understanding, to make things right, to leave.

As an adult, there was some right thing to do and not knowing what it actually was—how could she be responsible to her sweet Elouise and to dedicated, caring Lou?

She could call the number the National Guard had posted around, see if they would come. She already knew they couldn’t really do anything. Who was going to help them? Who was here for Detroit?

This was the conundrum—to be of a city that didn’t want to be saved and didn’t want to be abandoned.

Elouise had said the Guard wanted to box her into this death, close up the exits before Big Lou could win his first fight with her. She certainly wouldn’t want them to touch her body now.

There was nothing to be done.

How many people were dying like this, quietly slipping away in their own homes?

She couldn’t move these two all the way across town with her bike. Even if she got the car, she couldn’t do anything for them. The effort of bringing them to her home wouldn’t save their lives. It just meant she would get to see every single detail of their deterioration.

Besides, this was their home.

She turned away from Big Lou, slipped out of the dark room, through the hungry kitchen, out onto the porch. Dune took the chair next to Elouise. Before she left, she would get the two of them safe and comfortable inside, perhaps she would lay them next to each other in their bed. She would take pictures of them and place them on her basement wall.

Maybe later she would burn the house down.

But for now, she needed a moment with her auntie. She sat there a long time.

Dune went down to the basement and Kama was sitting there next to Elouise, looking at the city. They were talking, soft and low, and didn’t notice her approach. Marta was sitting in Brendon’s chair over by the washing machine, she wouldn’t look up.