Investigate the letter [Discontinues Delilah's path.]

The only time you are given letters and mail is when it's a bounty. So, when you received a letter, you were expecting the usual. However, this time was different. It looked much more professional and lacked the kind of begging that you used to when it was someone trying to find help.

It captured your interest much quicker than any other. Delilah melts away from your line of thinking. Eventually, all you can think about is the letter. You turn and toss and stare at the ceiling. There's no way you are going to get this out of your mind. You have to go and explore the meaning behind the letter. You swing your legs off the bed and write an explanation to Delilah and leave it attached to the outside of your door, and then went back inside to pack the right items you think you'll need for the trip. Since you aren't sure how long you'll be gone, you also fill some more survival, as well as a shawl as an extra layer against the cold.

Unfortunately, the coordinates left on the letter indicate that it'd be best to take a horse. Even though you weren't dressed in rags, horses weren't precisely cheap around here. The train station might've been a helpful tool, but there was no indication that another one would be in the area for another couple of months. Too dangerous with the lack of caravans visiting this region. Without caravans, there wasn't any kind of formal protection. Oh well, the main driving **** behind your actions now was the sense of adventure.

You ride the horse for about an hour. You take a path that looks like it hasn't been used since Spring. Everything is overgrown, and there signs of mostly game trails. No signs of humans, which you suppose is good when you realize how far you are from any kind of help. As darkness begins to fall, even the forest goes to sleep. It makes everything eerily quiet. Your horse crunches on every fallen branch in the dense, overgrown trail that you are using.

The low-hanging branches from above hang down like reaching arms. Moss and thick vegetation hang from above you like guts and intestines. You feel exposed, despite being hidden in the shadows of the forest. You also feel like you were being stalked. Sweat beads down your forehead as you press on. Relief was nothing but a distant thought until you finally broke the treeline. Tallgrass and wheat now covered the trail and replaced the forest - the landscape is lumpy with unexpected dips and rises through the ground.

You exhale and listen to the silence. Aside from your horse, there doesn't seem to be anything else around the area for you to worry about. A little further up the tall grass, there's an object erected at the base of the hill. It's relatively dark now, and since you haven't seen any signs of human activity, you decide it shouldn't be that bad of a place to hold up in. You pat your horse's neck and kick. "Aight, Amber, let's move 'er ass up there."

The sensation of being watched increases tenfold as you and your horse step into the open. The dim light from the fading sun casts your shadow far behind you as you approach the old structure. As you get closer, it looks like it's experienced some bad news. The walls are peppered with bullet holes. Dark circles are punched through the front door, and all the windows are in pieces. You stop before you reach the base of the hill. You dismount the horse and duck through the grass. Perhaps that letter was a plea of help? You poke your head around but don't see anyone. You check the grounds and see no dead bodies. Perhaps this is ambush? You shoulder your rifle and point it at the house as a breeze blows through and opens the door slightly.

Your eyes are fixed at the doorway, and your finger slips into the trigger guard. It looks like there's someone behind the door, but you can't quite tell. It's too dark inside. At the very least, you feel confident enough that they can't see you either. The door starts to get blown shut, so if you're going to shoot, now would be your time...