I pull Dexter into my arms, because it's something to do. Because I can't watch him hop around us anymore, so excited when Mike looks like the whole fuckin' world's just ended. He whimpers against my chest, his cold nose nuzzling in the crook of my neck, and I hold him close as I push to my feet, turning in a slow circle and tipping my head back to look at the grey, skeletal trees surrounding us.

It doesn't work like this, does it? They go, I'd never get the chance to go with them, I've known it from the start. So what the fuck is this?