She couldn't help it. She would never have imagined she would be a screamer, but she never imagined she would see a dead body either. Gathering together what was left of her wits, she took a step forward to see if Orpington was really dead, then thought better of it and hurriedly stumbled back until she hit the alley wall behind her with her shoulder. She almost screamed again, but managed instead a whimper. She could hear rushing feet and shouts and mindlessly turned and fled towards them. A couple of people ran past her, then one bumped into her, knocking the wind out of her. Before they could run past she grabbed hold of the front of his or her robes.
"Orpington," she gasped, breathless half from the collision and half from shock. "He's dead."