&%:~^.....                                          .....^~:%&
@&%:~^....                                          ....^~:%&@
£@&%:~^...                                          ...^~:%&@£
#£@&%:~^..                                          ..^~:%&@£#
##£@&%:~^.                                          .^~:%&@£##
#£@&%:~^.. 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.       ...^~:%&@£
@&%:~^....                                          ....^~:%&@
&%:~^.....                                          .....^~:%&
%:~^......                                          ......^~:%
:~^.......                                          .......^~:
~^........                                          ........^~