Answer:
It raises the tension in the story by making a comparison that conveys the concern Malik feels about the risk of potential injury and loss.
Step-by-step explanation:
The simile "he felt that his ankle could snap like an old tree branch at any instant" affect the story as it raises the tension in the story by making a comparison that conveys the concern Malik feels about the risk of potential injury and loss.
Here, ''ankle could snap like an old tree branch'' represents ''potential injury and loss''