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###&¤*\«:¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨:«\*¤&
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