The doors didn't just open. They disintegrated.
The metal groaned, shrieked, and then buckled inward as if hit by a wrecking ball. The barricade of tables and gym mats exploded, sending splinters of wood and chunks of foam flying like shrapnel.
Dust and debris billowed into the gym, creating a choking gray fog.
The mob of students, who moments ago had been ready to offer me up as a sacrifice, fell back in a collective, stumbling wave of terror. Their survival instinct, so sharp a second ago, was now useless against the sheer, overwhelming violence of the entry.
"He lied!" Mr. Tanaka screamed, his voice cracking. "He said we could go!"
"He's a villain, Sensei," I shouted over the din, grabbing Liza's arm and hauling her toward the bleachers. "Villains lie. It's part of the job description."
From the cloud of dust, shapes emerged.
