###£%^^~,,                                          ,,~^^%£###
##£%^^~,,,                                          ,,,~^^%£##
#£%^^~,,,,                                          ,,,,~^^%£#
£%^^~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~^^%£
%^^~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~^^%
^^~,,,,,,, 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.       ,,,,,,,,~^
^^~,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,~^^
%^^~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~^^%
£%^^~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~^^%£
#£%^^~,,,,                                          ,,,,~^^%£#
##£%^^~,,,                                          ,,,~^^%£##