§§¨§§§§¨§§                                          §¨§§¨§¨¨§¨
¨§§¨¨¨§§¨¨                                          §§¨§§§¨§§§
§¨§¨¨§¨§¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§§¨¨§
§§§¨§§§§¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨                                          §§§§§§§§§§
¨§¨§¨¨§§¨¨ 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.       ¨§¨¨§¨§§§¨
§¨§¨¨¨¨§§§                                          §§¨§§§¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨§§§
¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨§                                          §¨§¨§§§¨¨¨
¨§§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          §§§§¨¨§¨¨¨
§¨§§§§§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨