[Okay, so the troll was at least stopping long enough for John to talk more. John wasn't sure if this troll would listen to him, or even if he could understand, but he had to try. So he spoke quickly, trying to get as much out before Karkat decided to attack him again.]

Okay, look. We're in the middle of zombie deadland here, and the last thing either of us need is a hoard of superpowered dead guys after us. You know they'd all flock here the moment they smell fresh blood, so let's just keep all sharp and pointy things to ourselves, mmkay? I'm not even looking for a fight, I just thought I saw another human and I wanted to make sure they were safe. But I guess that was you, huh? It was kinda hard to see, your horns are all nubby 'n stuff, so I didn't even notice them. But hey, we all make mistakes, right?

[John really did ramble on when he was feeling jumpy.]