"Looking around blindly seemed dangerous and I didnt want to head to a new area before finishing Arnika."If you walk into a new area, and the monsters kill everybody in the first fight, you shouldn't be there. If they only kill half your crew, you should be OK. Save often.
Don't walk down the middle of the road. Don't be afraid to be afraid. Retreat is an option. Hogars don't see very well but they have good hearing.