The Dead and the Gone

When Alex arrives at school on October 3, James and Tony tell him that because of her asthma, Bri shouldn’t be living in the basement of the apartment building. Alex agrees and tells his sisters that they will be moving to Greg Dunlap’s former apartment on October 5, which is a Wednesday and more reliable for electricity. Alex explains the decision as a precaution against flooding.

Five days later, Alex is body shopping with Kevin, and they talk about why Kevin goes to so much trouble to provide his mom with vodka. He says it’s because she has done so much for him, so he’s happy to return the kindness, especially since he wet the bed as a child, and she never made him feel bad about it. This reminds Alex that Papi treated him the same way, causing him to feel a great sense of loss and anger over his parents’ fate.

Kevin, Alex, and Julie continue to go to the food distribution line, but they receive less food than before. When Alex returns home from the food line on October 14, he finds Bri huddled in a sleeping bag to keep warm. He spoon-feeds her to keep her in her sleeping bag before heading to school, receiving a raised eyebrow from