§§§¨¨§¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨§                                          §§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨§§¨¨ in  the  endless   winter  day,  on  the §§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§§§¨ crystal white  plains... we trudge along §¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§§   the train tracks... themselves slowly  ¨¨§§§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§ snowed over,  in  the  still hours since ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨          the last supply train.          ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨     bell-like sounds of the blinding     ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨ ground.  rifles  attached to our  wrist, §¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§ sharing  in our bloodstream.  my  husky, §§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨      my warm-coffee-in-cold-snow...      ¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨ the  first  five  shots  you  can  spend ¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨§¨ indiscriminately, they  hurt but deal no ¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§ long time  damage  to the  shooter.  the §¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨ next five  you  must  spend wisely, they ¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨ will take days  to  heal. the final five ¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨ you    must    not   spend    at    all. ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ weeks earlier, in the weak  autumn dawn, ¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨ in  the blue-gray  fog...  something  is ¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨ burning  with   a  deep  crimson  flame, ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨       untameable by water or wind.       §¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨                                          §§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨§