To Build a Fire Rewritten | Teen Ink

To Build a Fire Rewritten

April 14, 2014
By Henry_Sanchez BRONZE, Faribault, Minnesota
Henry_Sanchez BRONZE, Faribault, Minnesota
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

David started to lose feelings in his arms. He picked it up in his teeth and scratched it on his leg. Twenty times he scratched before he succeeds lighting it. He held it in his teeth to the birch bark. But the burning brimstone went up his nostrils and into his lungs, causing him to sough spasmodically. The match fell into the snow and went out. He thought back to the old timer on sulphur creek. “A man should never travel alone after its fifty degrees below zero.”

He attempted to warm his hands by beating them. Frantically he tried again. After a few tries he succeeded, at first it was barely a flame but it grew and grew until it was a good size slowly his hands and feet got warmer, it burnt but felt good. He looked to see where the dog was, it was laying by the fire sleeping. He was getting tired, it was very dark now. He could see the stars very clearly, sparkling in the night sky. Then he realized how calm it was, almost too calm. He remembered the old timer telling him “there’s always calm before a big storm.” It scared him and he realized how much he missed his friends in Winston (a small town) and that’s why he’s traveling there to be happy and forget all of his problems. He made another friend on the way Dante a husky that had followed him since he left. He lay hungry by the fire because he had eaten all his food already. But soon sleepiness takes over and he is out fast.

He wakes in the morning to Dante licking his face; he realizes the fire went out. He sits up fast and a freezing wind hits his face, it stings. He looks at the sky once clear now cloudy with snow beginning to fall. Big heavy flakes and the wind was picking up. Anxiously he got up and started walking in the direction of the town. The snow and wind intensify as every minute passes. He’s freezing again he isn’t equipped for this like Dante. He wants to stop and build a fire, but he knows it won’t start, even if it did thee win d would blow it right out. In the distance he sees the tall mountain that is next to the town, so he keeps on going, the snow is deeper there and harder to walk up. The visibility is bad because it keeps in snowing. But finally they reach the peak. He can barely see the outline of the buildings in the town. It looks very depressing yet he is so excited to finally be there.

At first he walks, then it’s a jog and then he’s sprinting down the hill. The only problem is he slips and hits the ground with a thud and is rolling sown until he gets caught in a bush. His head is pounding and cuts all over his face, carefully he untangles himself and slowly begins downward.

David finally reaches the bottom and the first building. The whole place looks deserted. Now he runs, like the wind on a straight path for his friend’s house. He gets there and breaks down the door after no one answers. Its empty, he screams their names but there is no reply. He goes door to door until it’s apparent, everyone is gone. He sits down and calms down that’s when his hunger sets in. he searches the town for food but finds nothing. His only food source is Dante, but he couldn’t kill him he’s been his companion of his trip. If he wants to survive he’ll have too. He finds Dante lying in the snow; he slowly reaches for his knife and slowly walks towards him. Dante looks up confused, David tightly grips the knife, Dante stands nervously, and they are about 10ft away. David suddenly jolts at Dante and chases him for a few yards, then face each other again. David steps at him, David growls. David lunges at him but slips on a patch of ice and in a split second Dante is on top of him clawing and biting his next and face. As a last second fight to live David cuts Dante and throws him off. They stand apart staring at each other, blood dripping down there faces and necks, the freezing wind blows by, the snow still falls. The fight to survive had just begun as the lung at each other once again.



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