"Quiet!" Howard put a finger to his lips and pressed himself even closer to the wall, waiting with bated breath until the voices and steps drew closer and then faded. Only then did he dare judge it safe enough to emerge from the shadows and make his way to us carefully, crouching the entire way. He squatted between Rolf and me, the halting, nervous movement revealing his exhaustion more than anything. Wiping the back of his hand across his brow, he pointed with his thumb behind him. "I think we can risk it," he murmured. "It's just a few blocks and it's getting dark."