#@#§%§=«-¨                                          ¨-«=§%§#@#
§§§«--¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨--«§§§
#§§«-¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨-«§§#
###§%§=«-¨                                          ¨-«=§%§###
##@#§%§«-¨                                          ¨-«§%§#@##
#%§==««¨¨¨ 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.       ¨¨¨¨--«§§@
#%§§=--¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨--=§§%#
#§%==««¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨««==%§#
§§§%§=««-¨                                          ¨-««=§%§§§
#@#§%§=«-¨                                          ¨-«=§%§#@#
@@#§%§=«-¨                                          ¨-«=§%§#@@