“Can you hear me?”

                        The voice is hazy, like in a dream. I’m floating in and out of semi-consciousness, being pulled back into a misty realm of immunity to whatever is happening around me. I don’t resist.

                        “You have to wake up!”

                        The voice is urgent, pleading—and as the words  echo again in my mind, it begins to sound familiar. I have to get up. I fight the force that is pushing me back into unawareness and shake myself awake, using every ounce of willpower I have. Someone needs me.

                        My eyes open, but there is complete darkness all around me. Am I still dreaming? I hear cries of fear from around me. Where am I? What’s going—

                        Crack! The floor jerks beneath me with a loud groan. I hear screams, but everything they’re saying is a blur, I can’t make out any words. Are they calling me? Asking for help? I sit up slowly and hot, thick air blows into my face, making me cough.

                        “Please wake up!” The voice again. But I can’t tell where it’s coming from. Is it even addressing me? Memories flash through my mind, piece themselves together in odd patterns, then fade away again.

                        “I’m awake!” I call, wondering if there will even be a reply.

                        “Listen, I found the way out!” I try to match a picture in my mind with the voice that seems to ring at me from every direction. It seems so familiar.

                        “Where are you?” I hope my eyes will adjust to the darkness.

                        There’s a muffled response that I can’t make out. Then, “Do you have the key?”

                        Key? My hands are empty, but I get a feeling that I was supposed to have it—but no pictures in my mind of why. Instinctively, I feel around me until my fingers enclose around something long and slender. One side is sharp and the top is round. The floor sways beneath me again, and I hear more screams of fear.

                        “Yes!” I call back.

                        “Hurry and open the door! This thing could fall any minute!”

                        Door? My eyes are finally beginning to adjust to the darkness. I see several rectangular objects up ahead of me, silhouetted against the blackness.

                        “Which one do I open?”

                        No response.

                        I try not to panic. The floor creaks again beneath me and then drops, being held back by something that must be pushed nearly past its limit. More cries reverberate around me. I look at the doors and try to find a shaft of light. They all look the same, none of them promising escape.

                        I crawl closer. The floor groans beneath me, even though I move as slowly as possible. I stop and look at the doors again. Which one do I open? Is there room for a mistake? I don’t know. The floor drops again beneath me.

                        Then I hear the voice again, like a yell—but it’s too muffled to make any sense out of it. My palms are sweating, and I keep a tight grip on the key. Even though my memories are blank, I have a sense that if I move too much there could be certain death for me and everyone else who is around.

                        I listen, desperately hoping to hear the voice again. “Where are you?” I want to wake up and find out this is just a nightmare. But I know there is no escaping this.

                        “Don’t panic,” a quiet voice whispers from somewhere nearby. Is it just a voice in my head? Maybe. “You can do this.”

                        The floor sinks beneath me. I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a minute, trying to muster every possible ounce of courage I have…

                        Suddenly a light appears in front of me—near one of the doors. No, it’s coming from inside…

                        Then it disappears. My heart is racing. Could that be the one? Feeling a sense of hope, I inch toward it carefully. The floor groans. This has to be right.

                        I find the doorknob and fumble around before I finally manage to insert the key into the lock. I open the door. There’s light coming from what looks like the end of a tunnel! I look back and see terrified faces of people behind me.

                        “Come on!” I tell them. “We’re going to make it!”