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#§**\~¨¨¨¨ 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... ¨¨^~~%***@
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###§*%\~^¨ 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. ¨^~\%*§@##
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§%%~^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^~%%§
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@**%~^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^~%**@
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