She said nothing at Lotte's warning, just smiled with warmth, and ran her hand over the younger woman's shoulder in comfort as they followed Bran. Silence came over them all for most of the walk, while even Lotte and James did not whisper or charade. This was not a time to express too much worry, survivalist instincts demanded sustenance and water .. which would only come to them with cooperation.
As the pile of bodies approached, James drew Lotte against her and kept the girl's eyes pressed closed against her shoulder so that she wouldn't have to look. There was enough violence witnessed here. Enough death. They were not meant to see this, this was not their time.
Even Meg wept openly in her mind at the sight of the deceased, and James felt her throat go tight with a sharp, anguished pain that was difficult to swallow.
Still, Lotte's voiced worry reigned heavy on James' mind, and when Bran kicked in the locked door, she motioned for the other woman to stay put with several feet of distance away from the shadowy sill. Bran had the knife, and James would naturally let him take the lead into such unfamiliar territory, in case there were people within, but she flanked the rear of him with several steps between them.