No matter what it resembled, for Winters, it meant the approach of death.
The ice was groaning.
In places invisible to the naked eye, deep within the ice layer, ice crystals started to crack under the stress exceeding their limits.
The accumulated stress found a way out through a fracture, which rapidly extended in two directions, crossing the entire lake in the blink of an eye, making the already unstable ice even more treacherous.
But Winters couldn't care less; he couldn't decide if the ice would break, where it would break, or when it would break.
He could only focus completely and not miss any abnormal noise, ready to abandon the sled or cut the ropes at any moment.
Besides Winters, there were four other sled teams on the lake.
Other sleds, each carrying one or two people, were arranged similar to Winters's sled—people and equipment separated, with the Warhorse tethered far behind by ropes.
