"Why not sneak past them?" you suggest. "If they're fixed on having a fight, I bet they'll not be that bothered about us."
Michelle gives a cynical sniff but gestures towards the staircase all the same, apparently willing to let you take the lead. You start walking quietly down the stairs, Michelle keeping close behind you.
After a moment, you slip off your shoes. Your sock-clad feet make barely any sound on wooden stairs, while the pair of angry voices grows louder with every step you take. You reach the ground floor, edging carefully along the wall while not letting your back scrape audibly against it.
Finally, you come to the edge of the wall. The occupied corridor, from the sound of it, is right around the corner. You glance back at Michelle, who nods emphatically, gesturing for you to continue forward.
You take a deep breath and hold it, then you step quickly across the open space. It's impossible to stop yourself from glancing to your right as you do so, and you see two figures in the gloom of the corridor. A tall, broad young man towers over a diminutive girl, who offers no sign of backing down. Orange and red eyes cast a harsh glow over the corridor as the shouting continues—
—and then you're past them, Michelle next to you. She gives you a silent pat on the shoulder, and the pair of you slip around the next corner, walking quickly down the corridor.
"Not bad, mortal," the zombie murmurs to you, taking the lead once again.
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