££$$*«^^^¨                                          ¨^^^«*$$££
@@#£$*=«^¨                                          ¨^«=*$£#@@
#$$*««««^¨                                          ¨^««««*$$#
##££$*=«^¨                                          ¨^«=*$££##
#$*«^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^«*$#
£****=^¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨¨^=*££
#@#£$*=«^¨ next  five  you must spend wisely,  they ¨^«=*$£#@#
#$***«¨¨¨¨ will take days  to heal. the  final five ¨¨¨¨«***$#
#@#£$*=«^¨ you   must    not    spend    at    all. ¨^«=*$£#@#
##£**=^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^=**£##
@#$***=«^¨ weeks earlier, in  the weak autumn dawn, ¨^«=***$#@
£$$$$*=«^¨ in  the blue-gray  fog...  something  is ¨^«=*$$$$£
#£££$*=«^¨ burning   with  a  deep  crimson  flame, ¨^«=*$£££#
@#£***=«^¨       untameable by water or wind.       ¨^«=***£#@
#@#£$*=«^¨                                          ¨^«=*$£#@#
£$$==^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^==$$£
@££*==^^¨¨                                          ¨¨^^==*££@
@#$*«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«*$#@
##@#£*=«^¨                                          ¨^«=*£#@##