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the kid clutched the front of her dress. He jerked her forward. She stumbled over the threshold. Felt herself being turned and thrown off her feet. The kid's scared face was above her for a moment. Then her back slammed the floor. As her breath exploded out, the impact snapped her head down. |
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It made a terrible thud. In the instant before she lost consciousness, Maureen saw her brain as a grenade going off, blowing fire out her eyes and nose and ears. |
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'My God, what was that!' Francine blurted, hand scurrying over the table top to retrieve the cigarette that had leaped from between her fingers. |
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Trev himself had flinched at the sudden muffled roar. Lisa must've jumped an inch off her seat, and her breasts had bounced dramatically under the tight sweater. |
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'I hope it was just thunder,' Trev said. |
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Lisa studied the ceiling as if she expected it to come down. |
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'God,' Francine said again. She clamped the cigarette between her lips. It jiggled. She took only one pull, then crushed it in the ashtray. |
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'It isn't suppose to rain,' Lisa muttered, still frowning at the acoustic tiles above her. |
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