Danger
Derek Newman couldn’t believe what was happening. He sat on the sidewalk across from his house, watching as men in protective gear and gas masks walked into his home with all kinds of equipment.
For the last two days, he and his family had noticed the strange bubbles forming in the ceiling, but they had no idea that their lives were in danger.
The Sound
It all began suddenly one night. Derek had just tucked his sons into bed and was on his way to the kitchen when he heard the strange sound above him. At first, he could only hear it from one spot in their house.
He could hear the sound of small droplets falling to a hard surface. When he looked up at the ceiling, he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. He assumed whatever the problem was would sort itself out.
A Minor Issue
As soon as he stepped away from that one specific spot in the hallway, the sound disappeared. For the rest of the night, he watched TV without a care in the world. It seemed so minor that he didn’t even mention it to his wife.
He slept peacefully, and when he woke up the next morning, he had completely forgotten about it. But he was about to be reminded.
The Next Morning
That morning started as usual. Derek got up and began getting ready for his day. He brushed his teeth and shaved his face before getting dressed. His wife was still sound asleep when he left their bedroom.
He was in charge of making a pot of coffee every morning. He was walking down the hallway, on his way to the kitchen, when he heard it.
Louder
It was the same sound as the night before, but this time, it was considerably louder. He was confused when he looked up and found a small pocket of moisture in the ceiling.
He sighed, realizing what was happening. There appeared to be some kind of leak in the ceiling. Derek rubbed a hand across his forehead. He didn’t have the time or patience to deal with something like this.
He Had Things To Do
He couldn’t deal with the problem right away. He had to be at work in an hour and a half, and he still had to make coffee and get the kids ready for school. This was not the time for something like this to happen.
Derek went about his morning, trying not to think about the problem. The bubble in the ceiling was small, from the outside, it didn’t seem too bad.
Going To Work
When Derek left for work, he soon forgot about it. He had a busy day ahead of him, and he couldn’t afford to divert his attention from his work. Hours went by, and before Derek knew it, it was time to head home.
But when he stepped foot in his house, he could hear the spraying of liquid above him. He was mortified to find multiple bubbles in the ceiling. At the time, he had no idea how dangerous the situation truly was.
His Family
Derek Newman enjoyed every moment of living in Reno, Nevada with his wife, Elena, and their two young boys. He worked hard to give his family everything they ever needed. Elena and the kids were everything to him, and he always swore to protect them no matter what.
Derek was a businessman while Elena worked as a high school teacher. Being busy people, it was important for them to have a strict schedule.
Routine
In the mornings, Derek would wake up before his wife. He would get himself ready before heading for the kitchen where he would make a pot of coffee for the two of them. This way, Elena always awoke to a fresh cup on her nightstand.
While he would get the boys ready for school, she would get herself ready for work. This had been their routine for years now. But one day, something unexpected happened.
Water Dripping
The night before, Elena was pouring herself and her husband a glass of wine while he put the boys to bed. It was a weeknight, and they had to be asleep by nine p.m. He made sure they were fast asleep before leaving the room.
But as he stepped into the hallway, a strange sound caught his attention. He paused in his footsteps and listened intently. He could faintly hear the sound of what he assumed was water dripping above his head.
One Specific Spot
He glanced up at the ceiling, but he didn’t see any wet patches. He assumed it was nothing to worry about. As he took a few steps forward, he realized that the sound had disappeared. It appeared to only be audible in one specific spot in the hallway.
He assumed the problem would solve itself and decided to join his wife in the kitchen. He forgot about it as soon as he grabbed the glass of wine from his wife’s hand.
Once In A While
They spent the night watching a movie and drinking wine, which was something they liked to do every once in a while. The children were fast asleep in their room, and they knew how important it was to enjoy some alone time.
That night, Derek slept peacefully, and when he woke up the next morning, he had completely forgotten about the sound he’d heard the night before. But he was about to be reminded.
A Pocket Of Moisture
That morning, he went about his routine as usual, and as soon as he was done getting dressed, he decided to head to the kitchen. He knew how important it was for his wife to have a cup of coffee to wake up to.
But just as he began venturing down the hall, he heard it. It was the same sound as the night before, but this time, it was considerably louder. He was confused when he looked up and found a small pocket of moisture in the ceiling.
A Leak
He squinted up at it. A small pocket of water had formed under his ceiling. He had heard of this kind of thing happening before.
He sighed. There appeared to be some kind of leak in the ceiling, and he knew that it had to be fixed as soon as possible. Derek rubbed a hand across his forehead. He didn’t have the time or patience to deal with something like this.
No Time
He couldn’t deal with the problem right away. He had to be at work in an hour and a half, and he still had to make coffee and get the kids ready for school. This was not the time for something like this to happen.
Derek decided to ignore it for the time being. He went about his morning, trying not to think about the problem. The bubble in the ceiling was small, from the outside, it didn’t seem too bad. He figured it could wait a few hours.
Leaving For Work
When Derek left for work, he managed to forget about it. He had a busy day ahead of him, and he couldn’t afford to divert his attention from his work. Hours went by, and before Derek knew it, it was time to head home.
But when he stepped foot in his house, he could hear the spraying of liquid above him. He was mortified to find multiple bubbles in the ceiling. Some were larger than others, and he could tell they were on the verge of popping.
A Mess
He looked around himself with wide eyes, astonished by the look of the place. Over the last 10 hours, the flooding had gotten a lot worse. He assumed they had a burst pipe or something, and now, he had to deal with the mess.
His wife would be home with the children at any second, and he had to get this sorted before their entire home got flooded.
Lucio
He placed his briefcase on the ground before grabbing his phone. He was annoyed by the inconvenience, but he was hopeful that a plumber could fix the problem in no time. He decided to call an old friend.
Lucio was an experienced plumber who had worked on their house for the past decade. He knew what he was doing, and Derek trusted him above anyone else.
Ten Minutes
After explaining the situation to Lucio, the plumber agreed to be there in no more than ten minutes. He knew that it was an urgent job. If the bubbles popped, their entire house would be flooded with water, and it would destroy everything they had.
Derek decided to wait outside until Lucio got there. As he waited on the front porch, his wife returned with their two children. As soon as he explained the situation to them, they were keen to see it for themselves.
They Arrived
Elena and the kids were in the house when Lucio arrived. He had come with two of his fellow plumbers, and they expected the job to last no more than two hours. They grabbed their tools from the back of the truck before meeting up with Derek.
He explained the situation and led the men into his home. When he walked in, the bubbles had gotten even bigger. One was right above their television, and it was threatening to burst at any second.
Fix It
“Do you think you could do something about this?” Derek turned to Lucio. He chuckled and placed his toolbox on the floor. “Of course, we can,” He assured him.
Before long, the three plumbers ventured into the ceiling to fix the problem. Derek waited in the living room with his wife and children. But just a second later, a small crack appeared in one of the bubbles, sending a small stream of liquid onto their floor.
A Strong Smell
The smell was nauseating. It smelt strongly of chemicals, which confused Derek. The young boys blocked their noses and scrunched their faces at the smell. It was strong and overwhelming.
Derek got up to investigate the small stream of liquid. It didn’t look like water, nor did it smell like water. He was about to place a finger under the stream when he heard a yell.
Evacuate!
“Get out!” Lucio called through the house as he and the other two men rushed down the small ladder that led to the ceiling. Derek was confused as he looked up at the man. What on earth was going on?
“You have to get out now, it’s not water. There’s a chemical container up there, it's leaking from the container,” He said as he rushed into the living room. “You need to evacuate right now.”
No Longer
Derek’s eyes widened as he and his wife gathered the kids and began escorting them out of the front door. A dangerous substance had flooded their entire ceiling, and they couldn’t stay in that house for even a second longer.
As Elena sat the children on the curb outside, Derek stood with Lucio. The plumber wasted no time as he called 911, informing them of the hazardous substances.
Confused And Angry
Derek couldn’t believe what had happened. He gripped his hair as he stared at his house from across the street. He was beyond confused and angry. Why on earth was there a chemical container in their ceiling?
It certainly wasn’t them who put it there. For the last few years, he and his family had been living right underneath something so dangerous.
Waiting
As he waited for the emergency services to arrive, he made his way to his wife and children and sat beside them on the curb. He was beside himself with worry. What if the bubbles burst? What if their entire house became flooded with the substance?
Everything would be ruined, and he couldn’t afford that. Noticing the stressed look on his face, Elena took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Everything will be alright,” She said. Before long, emergency services arrived.
Gas Masks
Derek couldn’t believe what was happening. He sat on the curb across from his house, watching as men in protective gear and gas masks walked into his home with all kinds of equipment.
For the last two days, he and his family had noticed the strange bubbles forming under the paint of their ceiling, but they had no idea that their lives were in danger. Only now did he fully understand the gravity of the situation.
Lucky
Lucio remained close to the house as he spoke to the workers about the situation. They were lucky that Lucio had told them to evacuate when they did. Just minutes after they got out, the large bubble above the television had burst.
Some damage had been done, but thankfully, no one got hurt. After speaking to the men, Lucio made his way to Derek.
Hydrofluoric Acid
“They just came back to me, apparently the substance is hydrofluoric acid.” Lucio said, rubbing a hand across his forehead. He understood the gravity of the situation. “It might take a while before you guys can move back in.”
Derek couldn’t believe it. It was so much worse than he thought. But he was grateful that his family was alright. “We can stay with family until this is sorted out,” He assured Lucio.
No One Knew
They never found out how the container had gotten into their ceiling. They believed it had been there since they moved in. It took a few weeks, but eventually, their home was safe for them to live in again.
A lot of their electronic devices and furniture were ruined, but they didn’t mind repurchasing them. As long as his family was safe, Derek was relieved.