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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... ,,:~*^@###
##@^*~:,,, ,,,:~*^@##
#@^*~:,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,:
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,,,,,,,,,, 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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