#@$$†«¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨«†$$@#
##@§$†:«.¨                                          ¨.«:†$§@##
§§§§$†:«.¨                                          ¨.«:†$§§§§
#@§§$†:«.¨                                          ¨.«:†$§§@#
##@§$†:«.¨                                          ¨.«:†$§@##
##@§$†:«.¨ in   the  endless  winter  day,  on  the ¨.«:†$§@##
##@§$†:«.¨ crystal  white plains... we trudge along ¨.«:†$§@##
§§†††«.¨¨¨  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 ¨.«:†§@###
@@§§$†:«.¨ burning  with  a   deep  crimson  flame, ¨.«:†$§§@@
##@§$†:«.¨       untameable by water or wind.       ¨.«:†$§@##
##@§$†:«.¨                                          ¨.«:†$§@##
§§$$$†:«.¨                                          ¨.«:†$$$§§
@§††:::«.¨                                          ¨.«:::††§@
@§$†:::«.¨                                          ¨.«:::†$§@
@§†††««¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨««†††§@