“Make a sled, we’re dragging him out!” Taylor yelled, already pulling a tarp and rope from his pack. “We’ve got no time! Let’s move!”

“I’m going to scout a path out,” Smitty said. He jogged ahead in the narrow base of the ravine, disappearing around a corner.

Watts fashioned a make-shift wrap for Fish’s ankle while the Maddoxes, Cat, Runt and I built a sled to carry Fish out. We tied the last knots, lifted Fish carefully, then picked up the edges of the tarp.

“Just keep going until we see Smitty,” I said.

We had to carry Fish over the rockier areas and dragged him over what we could. We moved even slower than before, and the fire had gained ground behind us.

Smitty appeared, breathing hard, his hands on his hips. He shook his head.

“Dead end. Almost straight up on both sides. We’ll have to fashion some kind of a hoist.”

“Then let’s get started,” Taylor said. We picked up Fish to save time, but when we arrived at the dead end, it was more daunting than I’d imagined. The climb was at least a hundred yards.

We lay Fish against a tree and took five minutes to discuss a plan.

“We don’t have time,” Smitty said. “The fire is ten minutes out.”

“I’ll strap him to my back,” Cat said. He was the second biggest only to Sugar, but he was also the most tired. His whole body shook with exhaustion.

Tyler shook his head. “We’d have to hoist you both up, and it’s too much weight.”

“Me then,” Runt said.

Tyler shook his head. “You can’t climb that with him on you. You fall and we’ll have two injured. Can’t risk it.”

“Then what are we going to do?” Smitty asked. “We can’t just leave him here.”

“I can deploy my fire shelter,” Fish said. “Come back for me once it blows over.”

“No,” Smitty said. “Those things give you maybe a 50/50 chance. No fucking way, Fish.”

I thought about the tree and how I’d given it an easier death than by fire. Fish wouldn’t get that luxury.

Tyler tried to call in that we were trapped, but we were too dug in, and the radio had no signal. “God damn it!” he said, throwing his Pulaski to the ground.

“We’re not leaving you behind,” I said to Fish. “No one gets left behind.”

“You guys aren’t dying down here,” Fish said, his face pale. “Not for me.”

“You’re not either,” I said. I dropped my pack and took a running start for the cliff wall.

“You can do it, Zeke!” Runt said as I pulled myself up to the next protruding rock.

I anchored a foot on some roots, but ultimately slid down, losing my grip at the halfway point.

“Fuck!” I yelled, punching the wall.