¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-                                          -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-- 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 $††--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨--†† indiscriminately, they hurt but deal  no ††--¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--† long  time  damage to the  shooter.  the †--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-- next  five you must  spend  wisely, they --¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨- will  take days to heal. the final  five -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ you    must    not   spend    at    all. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ weeks earlier, in the  weak autumn dawn, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ in  the  blue-gray  fog...  something is ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ burning  with  a  deep   crimson  flame, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-       untameable by water or wind.       -¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--                                          --¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨--†                                          †--¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨--††                                          ††--¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--††$                                          $††--¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨--††$@                                          @$††--¨¨¨¨