Just a thought in Time: contest book

Darkness

Dana groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, touching her head. It throbbed slowly from where she was struck. She remembered walking to the bus stop from work. She remembered it being cold and hearing footsteps behind her, which was nothing unusual given the area but...the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

She groaned again, her back was aching. How long have I been out? She tried to sit up to relieve some of the pain but she only got so far before smashing her forehead onto something. "What?" She wrenched her eyes open only to be confused by the lack of light. She tried to roll over but didn't get very far. Her shoulders struck the same hard surface that she headbutted. 

Dana padded her hands around herself, there wasn't much space but she found a wad of paper and something cylindrical. She picked up the object and ran her shaking fingers of it. It was cold and metal with a push button on the end. A flashlight.  She clicked it and was blinded by the light reflecting off of her surroundings.  It was metal box...no a tube. A rectangular tube...almost like an air duct. 

Something familiar about this. Almost like I heard it on the news at work. She breathed deeply as she counted to ten. "This has to be some kind of prank." Then Dana remembered the paper that she had found, she put the flashlight in her mouth and opened it:

Congratulations,

You have been chosen. If you have paid attention to the news you would know that there is not ransom for my victims, just freedom as the reward. None that have ever achieved it. You are in a maze made out of sturdy steel tunnels, buried underneath two feet of dirt. The police have been notified of your location BUT you must make it to the end of the maze in order to be found...alive.

You have been given a flashlight, but its batteries are dangerously low, as is your air supply. It is much easier to manage this in the light, but the more you use the device, the quicker it dies. Good luck. Will you be my 10th victim?

"Son of a bitch!" Dana thrashed about, then remembered that she had limited air. She couldn't roll over but she could use her hands and knees to move. It would hurt...a lot but she had to get out.

Dana wasn't sure how long she had been moving about the paths that were laid out before her but she did know that she had made at least one circle. She stopped, panting, the flashlight began to flicker a while ago but now it was dimmer than ever. "I...need..." she gasped, she was getting sleepy. "Must...out..."

Dana pressed on, one hand in front of the other. Her eyesight darkening...only her outstretched hand exposed to her vision. Maybe...just a little rest. Dana laid her head down, once again darkness consumed her sight as she gasped for air.