It was 7:35 am, and Clark was watching the local news. He had been planning on a camping trip for the past couple weeks and the presence of a forest fire was threatening him from going. "..With the forest fire on the fritz, campers should be wary about where they set up. The fire danger is on a high and no fires will be permitted up there." Fires aren't allowed, but I can still camp! He thought as he raised his fist in the air triumphantly and cheered.

He quickly hopped off the couch and ran around to assemble his pack. Almost in the process knocking over some precious items. "Won't want anybody stealing my spot." he said quietly. Once the bag was quickly thrown together, he hurled the backpack on and hopped to the kitchen to grab some food. The kitchen was small compared to others. But, It had the bare minimum that a kitchen needed. Fridge, counters, stove that often burnt food, and a microwave which made the highest of delicacies. There a toaster too, but he made the mistake of using a fork to get toast out. Least to say, it was not a happy time for anyone. The kitchen fit into a nice corner of a small apartment. The living room was to the right of the kitchen. A single worn couch and a console with a few of my favorite games stood to fill the once empty space. Down the hall was his bedroom and a single bathroom. Truly a place fit for a king.

With his stuff in tow, he ran out the door while stuffing keys into his pocket and slipping on a pair of sneakers. The shoes were a bit rugged but were still nice. A pair of grey sneakers to go with his blue t-shirt and tan cargo shorts. Not the best fashion in the world, but who cares I'm going camping! He quickly rushed to lock the door, but clumsily dropped the keys in the process. Clark reached down to grab them when all his food dropped to the ground. Apples and a few cans rolling all over the hall. He silently cursed and started to gather the groceries when someone stopped to help.

"Need a hand?" It was Sarah. She lived in the complex across from his and just so happens to be one of his best friends. "Sure." Clark replied as she bent down to help pick up the rest of the escaping goods. Once all were collected, and he locked the door and addressed Sarah. "Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it." He said checking his food

"I'm always happy to help a friend in need." She said happily. "I see that you're in a bit of a rush, where are you off too?"

"I am going camping this weekend. Just need a break from all this craziness that has been going on, Ya'know?" Sarah looked somewhat shocked. "You're going camping while the wildfire gets worse by the day?" He chuckled when she said that.

"Of course, no better time than in the summer. There are also no people up there because they're too chicken, and Mother Nature can throw whatever she wants at me, I'm still going." I said shaking my fist at nothing. they both laughed at his joke for a short time. "I am sorry to cut this conversation short but I really must get going." He said slightly jittery.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to go?" She asked with concern in her voice. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt up there." She said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"I'll be fine, i'm not going up there for too long. So I should be back in no time"

"Just be careful, okay?"

"I will, see you around."

"See you.."

After the chat with Sarah, Clark left down the hall to the building's only elevator. It was old just as the building was, but still reliable. When the lift finally reached his floor, he stepped on and rode it all the way down to the bottom level.

Once the doors opened, he raced out of the front lobby doors and wandered through the parking lot to find his car. "There she is." he said as his ride peered around the corner. It was a small grey car. He had this car for the past 3 years and they had been through some great times together. he opened the back door and threw the pack inside. Slamming the door shut, he hopped to the driver side and turned the key. The engine guzzled and died away. He turned the key again, but this time hitting his right fist on the center of the console, she roared to life. Clark let out a sigh of relief. This frequently happened, and he didn't know why. But secretly, he liked it because it made him feel like Han Solo flying the Millennium Falcon. With the car started, he made his way out of the lot and down the road to the forest.

-Some Time Later-

Clark had been sitting in silence for a bit of his journey and decided to turn on some radio. He reached over and flipped through the channels he liked. He finally decided to settled on a Pop station which was playing Cake by the Sea at the time.

Time seemed to fly by as the ride went on. Tall building turning to rural flats of the countryside. Soon even the woods were upon him, he gazed upward at the tall trees. A car horn from behind broke Clark's trance from the wilderness around him. Slightly startled, he sped up to get out of the other person's way.

Clark became giddy with happiness as the campsite approached his view. But to his disappointment, found a family had already set up shop at that site. He grew frustrated as he had worked so hard to get this time off. He worked many hours overtime and kissed so much ass to get this weekend off for camping and it was gone, just like that.

However, all was not lost for Clark had a backup site in mind. "It is a little farther out, and much more secluded than this one, but it will do." he thought as he continued down the road. It took him a little over an hour to get there, and found it to be completely empty. "Yes" he huffed.

He drove down a small slope towards the plain, and parked in a nice shady area close to a few trees. It was a small site and it had been rarely used at all. Clark turned off his car and got out to survey the area. It was a grassy field cluttered in with trees. The boundaries of the grounds were marked by the spacing trees. In the middle of the clearing was a small fire ring, it was a little overgrown with small grass poking through the rocks, along with a few flowers.

Turning back to the car, Clark set out to unload his gear. Taking in a deep breath of that fresh woodsy air gave him a relaxed vibe. It wasn't much longer until a decent camp was set up. His tent was set up a little ways away from the pit, to hopefully gather some heat from a fire during the night. A stove and table were set up to serve as a kitchen for the next few days. During Clark's arrival, it had been decently quiet with the occasional shuffling of gear and local wildlife. The silence was broken by a rather loud rumbling and groaning. Clark looked about timidly to find the source. The sound happened again and it was right below where he stood. Looking down, he found only his stomach to be growling for food. With a small chuckle and a breath of relief, he halted the monster through a classic PB and J sandwich. Nothing beats hunger quite like those do. Satisfied with the camp that surrounded him, he began scouring the area for firewood. He found a decent amount of sticks and a few logs nearby. Not being a wuss, he manned up and brought all the wood in one trip.

Back at camp, he set them in a nice pile near by and began looking for his axe. After minutes of searching, he found it leaning against a tree. Clark picked up the ax and felt up the old wood.

"Even after all these years dad, your ax still holds together." he said remembering older times. Swinging it to his shoulders he prepared to hit a log. When it was steady, Clark took aim and brought the axe upward, then brought it down with as must force he could muster. The log made a splintering noise as it split in two. Not out of breath just yet, he grabbed another and broke it as well.

While he split the wood, he thought of work at home. His friends, and what was left of his family.

He lost sense of my surroundings, focusing more on his life till now. He had a nice childhood, not too much crazy till his mother passed away. She was a nice woman from what he could remember of her. He was only eight or nine when she left him and their Father. When that happened, the biggest punch was on his Father. He raised and cared for Clark best he could, but it was too much for him to handle.

At age 13, Clark was alone and forced to live with his Aunt for the rest of his days. Sarah was the only friend he had during these tough times. She seemed to be the only one that cared for him at all. All the other students left good ole Clark to his business and he never broke that bubble.

But Sarah, she always popped out and asked how he was, how his day was so far, and other likenesses. Everytime he saw her, he felt a warm feeling in his chest. But as time went on, began to separate and grow distant. But they always managed to bump into each other here and there. She seemed so nervous every time they met. Always red faced and trying to hide it by covering her face with her long brown hair.

That was eight years ago and Clark was a man now. Caring for himself, providing shelter and food however he could manage. Even spoiling himself here and there, It was a good life. He lost focus and gain consciousness of his surroundings as the last log was split. It was beginning to get dark now and was also getting chilly.

"Had I really been cutting wood for that long?" He could now feel his arms burning and despite a wild fire nearby, could feel the cold air pick at his sweaty forehead. Walking over to his tent, he grabbed out a hoodie to push out the seeping cold. Making a quick decision, he started a small fire to push away the night and hopefully warm his tent for the night.

It took a few minutes to gather the proper wood and materials from his wood pile necessary for a fire. Once all the supplies were assembled inside the ring, he took out a pair of flint and steel strikers. With his aching arms and hands, he started to strike the two together to create sparks. Within a few seconds a small flame was visible. Clark was the best fire builder he new of, self-taught through books and asking his dad for help. He waited for it to catch the rest of the dry grass found nearby; helping it when he could.

After a few moments a decent fire was started. Clark could feel the warmth from it and it felt good. Occasionally he walked away from the warm fire into the outskirts of its heat to grab some sticks to fuel it. He sat in silence looking around. The feeling of being watched flowed through his body. The only source of heat and light around that wasn't natural was of his fire, of course animals would come by and check it out. Standing up and with a stretching yawn, he grabbed the dirt bucket prepared beforehand and began dumping all the dirt onto the fire. There was no more dirt in the bucket and only a few coals were left alive. "Meh, they will die out on their own." he said as he turned to the warm tent.

With a final yawn and a happy smile, he let sleeps warm grasp take hold and drift him off to sleep.

However, Clark did not know that one of his stick was placed just a little too close to his fire pit, and soon caught on fire. Later lighting nearby grass aflame, and the rest of his cut wood.