#¤%†††~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~†††%¤#
#@¤%~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~%¤@#
##@¤£%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%£¤@##
##@¤£%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%£¤@##
##@¤£%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%£¤@##
##@¤£%†~^¨ 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.       ¨^~†%£¤@##
¤%†^^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^^†%¤
#@@¤£%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%£¤@@#
@¤£££%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%£££¤@
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##@¤£%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%£¤@##