....#....#                                          #...#.#..#
#....#...#                                          ##.....#..
.#....#..#                                          ###.....#.
..#....#..                                          #.##.....#
#..#....#.                                          ..###.....
.#..#....# 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.       ##........
..#.##...#                                          ###.......
....###..#                                          #.##......
....#.##..                                          ..###.....
......###.                                          ..#.##....
......#.##                                          ....###...