@##&$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$&##@
#&%~~:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:~~%&#
&&%~:::¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:::~%&&
##&&$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$&&##
##@#&$†~:¨                                          ¨:~†$&#@##
#$%%†:::¨¨ ~~&                                  &~~ ¨¨:::†%%$#
#&%%%†~~:¨                                          ¨:~~†%%%&#
#&$†††~::¨           the road is blocked.           ¨::~†††$&#
#&$%~¨¨¨¨¨ two  creatures,  alive,  and  a  burning ¨¨¨¨¨~%$&#
&$%~¨¨¨¨¨¨    car. the windshield is shattered,     ¨¨¨¨¨¨~%$&
#@#&$%†~:¨               from outside.              ¨:~†%$&#@#
###&$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$&###
#$%†::¨¨¨¨ ~~&                                  &~~ ¨¨¨¨::†%$#
&&&%†:¨¨¨¨      &~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&       ¨¨¨¨:†%&&&
#&%~~~~::¨ ~~&                                  &~~ ¨::~~~~%&#
#$$$%††~:¨                                          ¨:~††%$$$#
@@#&$%†~:¨   the womans name is ~lynne~, she heads  ¨:~†%$&#@@
&&$%%†:::¨    from the peninsula of kola - called   ¨:::†%%$&&
##$†~:¨¨¨¨    there long ago by the depth of the    ¨¨¨¨:~†$##
#$†~~¨¨¨¨¨   boring hole, now again returning to    ¨¨¨¨¨~~†$#
###&$%†~:¨    denser civilization. but she is not   ¨:~†%$&###
##@#$%†~:¨   human. she has long claws with which   ¨:~†%$#@##
@#$$$%†~:¨ she picks out the flesh of her prey and  ¨:~†%$$$#@
&&%†::::¨¨     tears at it with her teeth, blood    ¨¨::::†%&&
#$%%†~~:¨¨  dripping onto the dirt road. she does   ¨¨:~~†%%$#
@&%%%††~:¨      not look up from her killing.       ¨:~††%%%&@
@&&&$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$&&&@
&%%††~¨¨¨¨     her steed is ~hornblende~, a dark    ¨¨¨¨~††%%&
@@#&$%†~:¨    horse, a glowing panther. she's an    ¨:~†%$&#@@
###&$%†~:¨    extremely digitgrade thing, with a    ¨:~†%$&###
#@#&$%†~:¨  polite face. while her regular (and now ¨:~†%$&#@#
&%†:¨¨¨¨¨¨ disinterested) mouth is responsible for  ¨¨¨¨¨¨:†%&
#@#&$%†~:¨    eating plant matter (mostly fatty     ¨:~†%$&#@#
#$†:¨¨¨¨¨¨     fruits like avocado) her tail is     ¨¨¨¨¨¨:†$#
#$%%%†~¨¨¨  carnivorous and has a mouth (and will?) ¨¨¨~†%%%$#
@##&$%†~:¨  of its own. the entire tail is hollow   ¨:~†%$&##@
##&&$%†~:¨  and juicy, and feels wonderful inside.  ¨:~†%$&&##
@&%%††:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:††%%&@
@@#&$%†~:¨ ~~&                                  &~~ ¨:~†%$&#@@
&&&$%%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%%$&&&
@&&&$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$&&&@
##@#&%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%&#@##
@&$$$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$$$&@
#@#&$%†~:¨                                          ¨:~†%$&#@#