It was a warm summer afternoon. Pine trees gently swayed in the breeze and the sound of ocean waves pounding the shore could be heard in the distance.The forest floor was relatively clear, with patches of palms and brambles breaking the camping area up and allowing for some privacy. A blue jay fluttered through the branches overhead.

Enzo sighed in contentment. The small clearing was the perfect spot to set up for the night and he’d been looking forward to this for weeks. No office calls, no Senior Vice Presidents to deal with and certainly no customers. Completely disconnected. He’d left his phone in his truck, parked at the main entrance about a mile away. No distractions, just the salty sea breeze, the constant roar of the waves and the crackling of a campfire. Peace.

Enzo dropped his small cooler and camping bag. He’d brought a small tent and enough food to last the long weekend and he fully intended on spending every second of it relaxing here. He set up his tent off to the side of the clearing, pine straw offering a soft layer to work with on the ground. Next came the fire pit, dug into the ground slightly for some safety. Ideally, he would like to find some stones to ring the pit but a cursory glance around didn’t provide any candidates.

Oh well, Enzo thought, I’ll just have to be careful.

He gathered up some kindling and built up his small teepee of branches. Thankfully, the area had a fair amount of drift wood and fallen branches, so a couple swings of his hatchet and Enzo had a pile of firewood ready for the night. As the sun began to set, he struck a match and lit the fire. Once the fire had caught, he threw a larger branch on, sat back and stared at the sky.

“This is the life,” Enzo exhaled. Maybe he’d go try to fish tomorrow and cook up something fresh for dinner. There was something so relaxing about taking it slow and eating freshly caught meals.

He felt like he was finally home, here in the forest. Nothing relaxed him like the gentle swaying of the trees and the rolling waves. While the sun set, Enzo pushed some coals off to the side of the fire. He pulled out a small cast iron skillet and retrieved two slices of bread and some cheese from the cooler.

Nothing like a good fire toasted grilled cheese before bed, he thought, as the sandwich sizzled in the pan. He leaned back against a tree and watched the last rays of light fall behind the horizon as he ate. Soon after, Enzo fell asleep under the stars, fully at peace.

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Enzo awoke with a start. He smelled a heavy smoke as flames danced around him, spreading to the surrounding forest. The downed branches he’d gathered earlier were now engulfed in flames. The soft sea breeze now pushed embers and sparks further and further away from the camp, already starting fires in patches deeper in the woods. Everywhere around him was pitch black, but for the light from the spreading fire.

He looked around his camp. How had he let this happen? He grabbed the cooler and dumped everything on to the ground, then raced to the shore and scooped up as much sea water as he could. The fire was growing, but it could still be brought back under control. He just had to hurry.

Enzo turned back from the ocean and truly saw the scale of the fire. This summer had been a dry one and it was telling. Everywhere he looked, little patches of fire were starting to spread, illuminating the night and adding a dull roar to ocean waves.

He grabbed the cooler and dashed back to his camp, quickly pouring the water across as much of the fire as he could. The water steamed instantly and doused a small area, but the fire was relentless.

As long as I can keep a clear path to the shore, I’ll be fine, Enzo thought. I just have to make sure I can escape and I keep going. Someone else will surely spot the fire and come to help before this gets too out of hand.

Every trip back to the ocean was more frantic than the last but Enzo didn’t give up. He made sure to spill some water on the same path each time to try to keep the area from burning up and he focused on the main fire as much as he could. The smoke was beginning to thicken and with each dash back in, he found it harder and harder to breathe. Still, he kept pushing. Still, the fire surged and engulfed more and more land. Enzo paused at the shore.

Weren’t there other campers here? Enzo thought. Why is no one else coming to help?

The fire had now spread far enough to reach the next campsite several hundred feet away. The palmettos and bramble patches served only to intensify the flames before they reached the camp. Tents and camping chairs stood no chance against the wall of heat and caught instantly as Enzo watched. A figure struggled within the tent as it went up in flames.

Enzo sprinted over to the tent. His mistake had caused this. His lax attitude started this fire and now he endangered everyone here. Someone was burning alive because of him. Enzo jumped and weaved through the flames. The heat meant nothing to him now; all he could think of was saving the person in the tent.

He burst into the campsite and saw the full destruction. The tent had been an older canvas tent, it may have been fire resistant in its heyday but it no longer stood a chance. As the inferno engulfed the tent, Enzo heard a child crying inside. How had he not heard the child sooner? He ripped open the tent, scorching his hands and dove inside.

The boy was trapped in his sleeping bag. The bag was holding up so far, but Enzo knew it wouldn’t be long before the fabric caught fire too.

“Come on, we have to get you out of here!” Enzo shouted to the boy, but he was too terrified to move. With a grunt, Enzo pushed through the burning tent and grabbed the boy. He unzipped as much of the bag as he could and freed the boy but the jostling knocked free some of the burning canvas of the tent. As fire descended on them both, Enzo shoved the boy away as hard as he could.

Black smoke filled his eyes and lungs. Enzo crawled along the floor of the tent, trying to get back out. Clothes and blankets burned. Tent poles gave away and more burning canvas fell on top of Enzo. He felt his own clothes catch fire. He screamed and thrashed, trying to escape. He succeeded in knocking out the last remaining tent poles. The structure collapsed completely and the fire intensified. Everything hurt. Enzo couldn’t move anymore, all he felt was pain. His last thoughts were of the boy. Hopefully he was okay.