The Leak by Ashley Avalos

Mom and Dad strongly believed in an education which is why they continued to send my sister and me to school, but every day the number of students in class decreased. Ms. Tran would take attendance but there was hardly anyone left. “Michael...Is Michael here?” but no response. In a way it was nice to have only seven students in class. That meant Ms. Tran would give us more personal attention, but I also missed my friends at recess and lunch time.

            Porter Ranch was known for being a nice and friendly town. It was one of the suburbs of Los Angeles. But the town was beginning to change. People boarded up their houses before they left, parents stopped sending their kids to school, and some just left and disappeared without saying goodbye. There were rumors about toxic chemicals in our drinking water, others blamed mad cow disease, and Mr. Jones said it all started with Gracie, one of the fifth graders at my school who was bit by a dog. He said she had some wild rabies and it was her fault for spreading it amongst the children in the town. Everyone thought he went a little crazy after he served in Afghanistan.

The town began to smell funky. It smelled a little like when Bingo peed on my bed. At home, our parents wanted us to continue living as normal as possible, so they would still let us play outside but only for fifteen minutes a day but thing began to get worse.

---

Mom picked us up from school every day. I ran inside to turn the TV on to watch SpongeBob Squarepants. Sam beat me to it. She punched in 311 on the remote but all we saw was Kelly Gomez, a news anchor. I snatched the remote from her thinking she had pressed the wrong numbers but as I flipped through the channels all I saw was news reports.

“Mooom! Where’s Spongebob Squarepants?” asked Sam.

My parents were both sitting on the couch watching Kelly’s report.

“Mom, they’re not showing Spongb…Woah! Is that the power plant?!” I asked with excitement as I ran to sit next to my dad. I hadn’t noticed he was home.

“It looks like a volcano!” exclaimed Sam.

Kelly was reporting on the gas leak. Apparently the SoCal gas company was accidentally leaking thousands of pounds of gas into the air per day after failing to replace a broken pipe. Heat cameras showed fumes coming out of one of the gas pipes in the valley and it looked like one of those volcanoes in National Geographic magazines. Kelly said it could not be plugged until late March without risking puncturing other gas pipes. It was only December. My parents grew up in Porter Ranch so they didn’t want to leave the city, it was pretty stable. Some parents just took precaution and withdrew their kids from school and rented a hotel in downtown LA until the leak was plugged.

The next day at school, it was only five other students and me in Ms. Tran’s class. “Daniela?” called Ms. Tran, but no response. “Well, guess she also left the city”. It was another boring day at school since most of my friends had left. Mom picked Sam and me up after school and we stopped by Whole Foods on our way home to pick up ingredients for the night’s dinner. It was the usual routine.

At the market we ran into Janice, Michael’s mom. We were all glad to see her. She had always been a good family friend. I asked her about Michael. She said he was just feeling a little under the weather and was resting up at home. It was believable, since it was rumored the gas leak mainly affected kids.

“Go pick out some cereal for tomorrow morning, girls.” Ordered my mom. We figured she wanted some privacy with Janice.

“Everything okay Jan? How is Michael really doing? The girls have told me he’s been out of school for a while now. Actually, a lot of kids have. Ya know, with the whole gas thing going on.”

“He’s okay.” Janice’s eyes lowered and she focused on the floor tile. “…Well…it’s been hard. We’ve been in and out of doctors’ offices trying to figure out what’s wrong but it’s still too bizarre. His nose won’t stop bleeding and he’s constantly throwing up. He’s lost fifteen pounds!” Janice had a desperate look in her eyes. Her eyes began to water, but she remained calm and excused herself. We started heading back home.

In the car Sam asked mom about what Janice had really told her. My mom told us he should be okay soon and back to school as soon as the gas leak stopped.

---

Another week passed. Less students in school. The leak continued.

Bingo, our 3 year old German shepherd was acting different during breakfast. He kept going around in circles, as if chasing his tail but without the excitement. Little drops of blood began falling on the floor. They created a circle.

“Bingo! Mom! Bingo!” yelled Sam. Her cereal spilled all over the breakfast bar as she jumped off the stool to run towards Bingo.

Bingo hit the floor, blood continued to ooze out of his nose then his mouth. He was panting heavily. I just stared as Sam kneeled feet away from him. A puddle of blood gathered next to his head. By the time mom and dad got down to the kitchen, we had lost our three year old dog. His eyes were rolled back and only his whites were exposed. His body turned stiff and cold. His tongue hung out of his mouth. It was so long it touched the puddle of blood. His tongue had already turned purple. We had no idea what to do.

“Quick! Grab his blanket! Renee, bring my car keys!” Ordered my mom. “Stay inside! Lock the doors!” I grabbed her keys and within the next minute, her and my dad were on their way to the veterinarian. It all happened so fast. Sam and I stared at the door in silence. We didn’t feel anything until our parents came back without Bingo. That was when it hit us that our puppy was forever gone. Our parents didn’t send us to school that day.

The next day it was Saturday. Sam and I stayed in bed all morning. I laid in bed while Sam kept snoring. It was about 11 am when Sam woke up.

“Renee?” Sam sounded confused. I grunted to let her know I was awake. “Renee.” She called for me again. I stopped staring at the ceiling and turned towards her bed. She was sitting up in bed. She had a bloody nose. The blood was dry. She must have been bleeding when she was asleep. Crusty blood got on her Hello Kitty pajamas and on her pink pillow case.

“Wait here. I’ll go get mom.” I walked to my parents’ room but they were not there. I figured they would be downstairs.

“Mom? Dad!” They were not in the living room, nor the den, nor the kitchen. Where could they be? I picked up the phone next to the refrigerator and dialed my mom’s cellphone number. I could hear her phone ringing. It was on the den coffee table. I hung up. I looked up and saw faint shadows outside the house. I instantly knew it was my parents. I recognized my mom’s tall figure and my dad’s police officer walk. I marched outside. I felt a little angry they were not inside when I needed them.

“Mom, Sam has a bloody nose. It’s all over her pillow.”

They seemed to be observing something in the middle of our driveway. As I got closer I noticed they were looking at a dead skunk. It was right in the middle the driveway. It looked exactly like Bingo did when he died in our kitchen. It lied in a pool of blood and its tongue was touching the concrete. The space smelled like blood and skunk.

“Poor guy must have eaten something bad.” Said my dad.

“Maybe he was attacked by a coyote.” Suggested my mom.

“Nah. He has no teeth marks on him. Looks like Bingo. Whatever killed him, must’ve killed Bingo. Probably some animal disease going around like the veterinarian said.” My dad began poking it with a stick. “What’s up baby girl?” asked my mom as she kissed my forehead.

“Sam was bleeding. She got it on her pjs.”

“Ugh. I’m sure yesterday was too stressful for her. Your dad used to get nosebleeds when he would stress out. His nose would bleed after he’d come home from the police academy. Ain’t that right, Rich?” My dad ignored her as she began making her way towards the house and continued observing the skunk. “I’ll call animal services to have it picked up, then I’ll wash down the driveway”, he said. Animal services picked up the skunk by three o’clock.

---

Sam had been throwing up all night. Poor thing. She would run to the restroom and I could hear her vomit splashing against the toilet bowl water. That went on all night. No one slept that night. My parents were up taking care of Sam and I was up because their movements were too loud. After deciding ten times was too many times to have thrown up, my parents and I took Sam to the hospital. We went into Emergency but there was a long line ahead of us. Kids like Sam were also throwing up, some were even spitting out blood. Kids stood around in pajamas and slippers while holding a bucket in case they needed to throw up. Some kids looked like they hadn’t slept in days. They developed dark circles under their eyes. Their parents did too.

“Name?” asked the nurse.

“Samantha Rodriguez.” Answered my mom.

“Date of birth?”

“July 4^th, 2003.”

“Allergic to any medication?”

“Penicillin.”

“Okay. Take a seat. We’ll call you when there is a bed available.”

“Is Suhail here tonight? Dr. Park?” My dad knew some of the doctors from all the times he had taken criminals to the ER, so he was hoping they’d be able to help him.

“I’m sorry sir, but you can’t skip ahead in line. We call patients based on their injuries. Your daughter shows the same symptoms as the other children here. She’s going to have to wait.”

“But I know them!”

“I know. I’m sorry.” Her eyes looked like she was genuinely sorry.

There was nowhere to sit. All the chairs were taken so we laid on the floor. Sam rested her head on my mom’s lap. My dad stood. He looked impatient. He was used to getting his way whenever he told people he was a police officer. Unfortunately, there was just too many people on the waiting list. Sam started to look pale. The nurses began to treat children in the waiting room. When they approached Sam to give her a pill to halt the vomiting, she took the pill and threw it across the room.

“Sam! Baby, it’s for your own good or you’ll continue to throw up.”

“It’s okay, right Sam?” The nurse smiled at her. “No worries mama. Kids never like to take their medicine.” The nurse tried to laugh it off but his face was red from embarrassment. “I’ll be back Ms. Samantha with another pill, okay?” Samantha let out a growl. “Oh! Feisty little one!” The nurse walked away awkwardly laughing. My parents looked at each other, communicating in that parent language that requires no words, just looks. They were worried.

Sam was given a bed three hours later.

---

We walked down the halls of the emergency room. The pediatrics sections was overflowing with sick children so patients needed to share private rooms. Kids were also placed in hallways. It wasn’t the most convenient matter, but there was no other way. It seemed as if every kid from Porter Ranch was there. Sam was placed next to the wall in the hallway right next to the nurses’ station. Her skin began losing its tan color from the hours spent out in the sun and it began turning pale and yellow. She hadn’t slept so her eyes became red and dry. Her lips were lined with drool and her mouth was so dry her tongue would stick to the roof of her mouth. She was dehydrated but threatened to bite nurses when they tried to inject IV into her arm. She didn’t say much, she mainly growled, threatened to bite and kicked and scratched.

It was 11 am on now. Sam was getting worse and worse. She began coughing up blood. Her personality was different in that she didn’t care if she was covered in bodily fluids. She let the blood run down her throat. My mom tried to wipe it off her with a wet towel but Sam slapped her hand away. Her nose also bled and she’d just let it run down her nose and on to her hospital gown. Occasionally, she would lick the dry blood around her nostril. I was surprised her tongue could even stretch that long.

A doctor in a white coat approached my dad. “Officer Rodriguez, another jewelry store burglar?” It was Dr. Park.

“Actually, no. My Sammy is sick and apparently so are the rest of Porter Ranch’s kids.”

“Yeah. I spoke with my team and we’re pretty sure it’s that gas leak down in the valley.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Mmm… well it’s not safe, but she should be okay as long as she’s indoors and not taking in the gas.”

“Okay.”

“Gotta go check up on a little boy. Nonstop vomiting and diarrhea”

“Thank you, Park.” My dad had his hand on Sam’s head but she bit him. She bit him pretty hard his hand began to bleed.

Sam was not doing any better and neither were any of the other children in the hospital. Moans, groans, and growls were heard in every corner of the hospital. There were more children than the hospital could handle. Kids began to act like animals and make animal noises. Some howled and others howled in response. Sam just sat up in bed with a blank expression on her face. She would blink once in a while. Blood oozed out of her nose, she’d cough without covering her mouth, her blood would splatter on the floor, and she growled at anyone trying to touch her.

Days passed and it was now Wednesday. Sam would occasionally fall asleep, but when she wasn’t sleeping she was sitting up staring into space. The other children got worse. Screams could be heard as doctors tried to treat them.

“Hold him down! Nurse! Nancy! Get in here and hold him down!” could be heard coming from the rooms.

“Don’t touch me! Leave me alone! Ahhhhh! Curse you and your family!” It sounded to be coming from an adolescent boy.

My parents paced the hall. My mom covered her ears to drown out the screams. And I just sat there. I had no energy. I was tired, bored, and hungry.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” yelled Sam. She tried jumping off the bed.

---

My mom froze in terror. I sprinted to her side. My dad tried to hold Sam in bed. Her skinny arms pushed my dad away and she fell from the bed and crawled towards the screaming boy. I squeezed my mom’s arm in fear. Even when she was a baby, I had never seen Sam crawl so quickly. Her fragile body covered in blood and vomit crawled quickly. My dad ran to bring her back. He picked her up, but she kicked and scratched his face. He was grabbing her by the abdomen. I suppose he squeezed her too hard because she threw up on him. She refused to eat anything so all she threw up was a clear liquid. Sometimes it was a yellow foamy liquid.

“C’mon Sam! Work with me hun.” Pleaded my dad but she responded by biting his arm.

“Gah! Dammit Sam!” She bit him hard. She left teeth marks on his left arm but he still held on to her with his right arm. My dad always carried a zip tie with him in case he ever needed to arrest someone when he was off duty. It looked like he was really struggling.

“Nurse! Park! Help! Quick!” yelled my mom. She was frozen in terror. She couldn’t move, only stare at her youngest daughter scratching at her husband’s face.

Sam’s skinny body gave my dad a good fight until he managed to zip tie her wrists together. It was not so helpful since she still tried to bite everyone who came near her.

“Sam, listen to me. I’m going to take it off, okay? But you can’t bite daddy anymore. Look.” He showed her his bloody arm. “Look what you did to daddy. Not…” Sam growled at him. She snapped like a piranha would at its bait.

“Leave those on, Rich. It’ll help us get her some meds in her.” Suggested Park but I could tell my dad did not want to keep his daughter in zip ties. Park returned a few minutes later to inject Sam with some medication, but she kicked, hissed, and tried to bite the doctor’s hands. Sam began to sweat and her hair would stick to her face. Dr. Park tried injecting her but she growled. There was a sudden crash. We all turned to see what it was as Dr. Park continued to struggle with Sam. Then out of nowhere, a young boy came sprinting down the hall at the doctor. He screamed in anger as he sprinted down the hall. He was also sick like Sam and his robe was also covered in blood. He ran and coughed blood at the same time. The doctor took out a syringe he had in the back pocket of his Dickies and stabbed the kid in the arm as he was tackled down to the floor. The kid tried to bite at his face but Park managed to hold him off until the tranquilizer kicked in. A nurse picked up the boy and placed him on a gurney to take him back to his bed.

“Doctor, what is happening to our kids?!” screamed my mom.

“The gas. It’s making them sick.”

---

The months passed and nothing changed. Sam was like a stick now. She rarely ate. Her ribs were visible. Dr. Park had her transferred to a hospital in Los Angeles. There she had a private room. Due to the location, my parents decided taking turns visiting Sam every evening after work and on weekends we would all visit together. Private rooms made it easier to control patients and lessen the chances of attacks. The gas is still leaking in the valley and Porter Ranch is a ghost town. We are in the process of moving to Los Angeles and Sam is still handcuffed in zip ties. Maybe once the gas leak is plugged we can go back home.