text: [Themes: fantasy]
  
  You make yourself scarce, watching them as they continue their march out of the forest. They're a band of about four dozen, and you know that if you had chosen to fight them, it may have meant the end of you. It must have taken close to half an hour for them all to move on so far that they were out of sight, but the adrenaline pumping through your blood made the time seem as though it had passed in the blink of an eye.
  
  Once they're gone, you retrieve your lantern and rope, before carefully climbing down the tree. You let out a sigh of relief once your feet hit the ground, and you continue your journey onward into the woods. Your journey lasts long into the day, and before you know it, the trees begin to give way to grassy fields. The only problem being that it's almost night again, and you don't want to risk sleeping out in the open.
  
  The trees are too small here for you to be able to sleep in one. You scan the area, and find... A cave? Yes, there's an entrance to a cave poking out of the ground towards the edge of the wilderness. The entrance is massive, which means that something undesirable may lurk in there, though you can take out whatever may call the cave its home.
  
  Alternatively, you can continue your march into the night. Perhaps you'll find a better place to take shelter.
  
  > You'll continue your trek.
  In spite of the darkness, you continue on the path, keeping a hand on your sword in case you're attacked. You light your lantern so that you can see more clearly, and march onwards. Eventually, you spot an old wooden cabin near a lake, not too far off the path. It looks abandoned, but hopefully if anyone still resides within you can convince them to let you take shelter.
  
  You make your way to the front door, where you attempt to open it, only to find that it's locked. Damn, the place isn't abandoned. Instead, you raise your fist and pound upon the door. "Hello," you call out, "I seek shelter for the night." It takes a moment, but soon you hear footsteps descending stairs within, then the sound of a lantern being lit, followed by faint light creeping through under the door. Finally, you hear the sound of a bolt being unlocked.
  
  The door cracks open slightly, and you can see a wrinkled eye poking out. "I didn't think anyone still wandered these old roads," he says, his voice old and creaky. "What brings you 'round here, stranger?"
  
  "I'm nothing but a simple wanderer," you reply. "I just seek shelter for the night."
  
  He looks as though he's contemplating it. He seems wary, though that isn't unreasonable; if you were in his shoes, being woken in the dead of night by a large man with a large sword, you'd be wary as well. Finally, he opens the door wider, croaking out "Come in." You oblige.
  
  Before you stands an older man, perhaps in his 60s, dressed in a faded blue woolen shirt and ragged breeches. "Welcome. My name is Oscar. What's yours, wanderer?"
  
  "My name is Kit." You look around. The interior of the cabin is quaint, decorated with paintings and old wooden furniture. A hearth sits on the back wall, cooking utensils hanging above it, near stairs ascending to the second floor. "A nice home you have here."
  
  "Thank you." Oscar gestures to the floor. "You're welcome to make yourself comfortable. Please, do not head to the second floor. My wife is attempting to sleep. She's been sick."
  
  You nod. "I understand. Thank you, sir."
  
  Oscar ascends the stairs, leaving you on the first floor. You lay down, and fall asleep.
  
  In the morning, you wake to Oscar descending from the stairs. "Morning, sir. You're welcome to stay for breakfast if you want, I'm going to get wood for the hearth. And again, please do not disturb my wife. She's still dreadfully sick." With that, he heads to the door and leaves.
  
  He's rather insistent that you not bother his wife. Is she really that sick? Maybe you can check for yourself. Or, you can wait for him to come back and then eat breakfast with him and be on your way.
  
  > You're curious. You'll head upstairs.
  After a moment, you get up from your place on the floor and slowly head up the stairs. Surely you have enough time before Oscar gets back. Once you reach the top of the steps, you find there is a hallway leading to a single door. You approach the door, a sinking feeling in your gut rising all the while. Something isn't right.
  
  You open the door and what you see almost causes you to lose the contents of your stomach.
  
  There in the bed is the corpse of a woman. She's decomposed heavily, and it's clear she's been dead a long while, far too long. Porridge drips from her rotting mouth. It was made recently. This is... Repulsive. Horrific. Wrong.
  
  You're not sure how long you've been standing there, staring at the woman's corpse in shock. It isn't until you hear Oscar's shouting that you realize what you've just found... And rage shakes within you.
  
  You unsheath your sword. "W-wait! I can explain!" Oscar yells, sticking his hands up.
  
  > damn him, the sick bastard. You swing.
  You swing your blade into him. It cleaves through him like a knife through butter, bisecting him from hip to shoulder. He's dead before his torso hits the floor, and blood stains the walls of the cabin. You don't bother to clean up the mess you just made. Instead, you make your leave.
  
  You continue on the road for a while. Days, maybe even weeks pass. However long you've been on these pathways, you don't know. Eventually, you manage to find a cabin that has actually been abandoned, resting nicely on the edge of a forest. It is there that you finally settle down, hunting and gathering for food.
  
  Occasionally, travelers pass through on their own journeys, but they never stay long. Once or twice bandits have attempted to rob you, but once you retrieved your old sword and showed how well you can handle it, they quietly backed away... Most of them, anyhow. The fools that didn't? Well, you're lucky the stains came off easily with a bit of elbow grease.
  
  Finally, you are at peace.