As Loki ran away from the sound, he encountered a group of three corpses blocking his way. Fortunately, they were still unaware of his presence, so he had time to turn around. However, turning around meant going back to the thing he dreaded most.
Finding himself in a predicament right after he went downstairs could have been a better sign. Faced with two choices that both had disadvantaged outcomes rooted his feet on the brick floor.
On one hand, he could return to where he came from and try his luck with the Fist of Slaughter, from which he already knew he would suffer severely. On the other hand, he risked being seen by three ghouls, who would never stop chasing him until one side was annihilated.
With his chest still aching, Loki's confidence to fight his way out was non-existent because, based on his experience fighting ghouls, it wasn't wise to face two of them without mentioning three.
