“Shhh!”
The knob had been reversed, of course, so that the lock faced the outside. It twisted and clicked, then turned, and pushed abruptly open. Gertrude clenched his eyes shut and braced himself for the light. Someone large and heavy entered, he could feel it. The overheads flicked on, and the door shut.
“Now!” Gertrude yelled.
The lights went out, and he anchored himself against the closed door and launched his entire weight forward, hoping to connect, and he did! His shoulder met with the small of the man’s back, and he heard the startled grunt as he was sent sprawling.
“Desks, children!”
A rumble, a roar, and the mountain collapsed. The man screamed once, a terrified howl cut off by the avalanche of wood and metal. In the silence that followed, someone asked, “Is he dead?”
“No,”
