With a little chuckle Gabe raised one hand in surrender. The laugh felt like an incredible relief, far more than Gabe would have imagined given how minor the cause, how faint the mirth. That he could still be amused at all was a good sign that he was going to cling to.

"I'll be behind you if you need me, then," he said with a tiny smile, but a truer one than he'd worn all day. And so he was, as they moved out of the door. He kept the pipe at hand, but forced himself not to jump at every little shadow. Just the fact that he wasn't alone was something to be thankful for, and he was.

Even still, he kept an eye on their backs, and couldn't help but, several times, shuffle closer to get away from the shadows as they moved.

[to here.]