Daniel stumbled, falling to his knees. The ice bit through his pants, sharp as daggers. He forced himself up, shaking the snow off, but every movement felt heavier now. His body was betraying him, slowly shutting down.
Stay awake! Keep moving! The voice in his head was distant, as if buried under layers of ice. If he stopped, even for a moment, the snow would bury him, and no one would ever find him. He had seen hikers disappear like that before—bodies swallowed by the mountain, never to return.