###&£=*«^¨                                          ¨^«*=£&###
##&£=*«^¨¨                                          ¨¨^«*=£&##
#&£=*«^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^«*=£&#
&£=*«^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^«*=£&
£=*«^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^«*=£
=*«^¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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.       ¨¨¨^«*=£&#
##&£=*«^¨¨                                          ¨¨^«*=£&##
###&£=*«^¨                                          ¨^«*=£&###
##&£=*«^¨¨                                          ¨¨^«*=£&##
#&£=*«^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^«*=£&#
&£=*«^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^«*=£&