The distance between the memorial and the apartment hadn't seemed like much to start with. Just a half mile. It didn't seem like that long on the way here, but maybe it was because she'd had a plan in mind. Or maybe her mind was stuck in old-world standards when she'd allowed herself to think that half a mile wasn't far. It was when you had to cross a dark compound with a killer on the loose... but she couldn't take it back now.
Now that the task at hand was finished, though; now that she'd done what she came to do, the situation started to dawn on Rae. She was outside, by herself, when there was a crazed killer—serial killer, if the mumblings around the compound were to be believed—was on the loose. Rae had been known for the occasional bad decision here and there, but this one... well... it definitely ranked among the top ten.
She'd brought a flashlight, but as she rifled through her purse for it, it occurred to her that maybe that wasn't such a good idea, either. Alerting potential murderers to her presence... was a bad idea. It was one of those "six in one hand, half a dozen in the other" situations. Little light wasn't any better or any worse than no light. So, what could she do? Just... be on alert. Not that that would do her a world of good if anyone snuck up on her.
As if on cue, she heard a throat clear behind her. She jumped, her heart pounding top speed in her chest, slowly turning her head to see who was there. She wasn't sure who she expected; if she expected anyone at all. Squinting against the darkness, she barely made out a somewhat familiar figure. The cane was what really gave him away. That Silas guy. She'd just been talking about him with Luke the other day. She didn't move from where she was standing right away, kept her eyes on him. "I, uh..." she looked down and shrugged a shoulder. "I know."
They'd had a couple of casual conversations in the past, when she was handing out food in the cafeteria, so she'd treat this like one of those; try to ignore the circumstances and try to beat a hasty retreat if the situation called for it. "You know those things... that seem like a good idea at the time, but turn out not to be so good? This was kind of one of those."
In another moment of bravery, Rae dared herself to step forward, a little bit closer to the man, and glance up at him. Was she foolish to allow herself to trust someone she barely knew? Probably. Especially in a situation like that. But she'd always been like that. She extended her hand. "Your name's Silas, right?" she asked him, fighting with the urge to swat the smoke from her face. Normally, she'd have done it, but if this guy was out here for suspicious reasons, the last thing she wanted to do was tick him off.
"I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm Rae."