I don't think he'd done anything. I think either (a) there were other people in whatever terrible place this is, and they'd been doing something, or (b) the man and woman who needed help were stuck, and the woman was in bad shape and deteriorating (thus the howl, which could have been a cry of pain).

Possibilities, possibilities. *g*

ETA that thinking about it, to me (b) is the more likely probability.