.~«^^%£@##                                          ##@£%^^«~.
..~«^^%£@#                                          #@£%^^«~..
...~«^^%£@                                          @£%^^«~...
....~«^^%£                                          £%^^«~....
.....~«^^%                                          %^^«~.....
......~«^^ 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.       @£%^^«~...
....~«^^%£                                          £%^^«~....
.....~«^^%                                          %^^«~.....
......~«^^                                          ^^«~......
.......~«^                                          ^«~.......
........~«                                          «~........