"What's happening to me?" asked Jess, as she continued to slowly grow. She looked down at her hand. Her index finger and pinky grew longer and thicker while her middle finger and ring finger seemed to be merging, changing from two digits to one. Her nails turned dark black and grew thicker, longer and sharper.
"I feel ... I feel ... very peculiar," said Jess, as she turned away from Mary and dropped to one knee. She gripped her head tightly, covering her face with one of her growing clawed hands. She placed her other hand on the coffee table, trying to balance herself. It groaned under the increasing weight and pressure.
Mary cautiously approached her friend. She heard a ripping sound and saw that her feet had changed, too. Long wide claws had torn their way through her shoes as they grew and continued to grow.
Mary gently put a hand on Jess' shoulder.
"Jess, are you okay?" she asked meekly.
Jess dropped her claw away from her face and turned to glare at Mary.
"Do I look okay to you!?" she growled angrily.
To Mary, she did not look okay. In fact, Jess' face looked hideous. It was covered in scales and her nose had been reduced to two slits just above her lips. The lips seemed to pulse and bulge, beginning to stretch into a snout. Her beautiful thick hair was now thin and wispy, just a few dying strands straining to remain attached. The rest seemed to have come off in her hand. But the worst were her eyes. The yellow reptilian slits showed no trace of humanity.
Mary involuntarily recoiled in horror away from her friend.
Yes, this was a very bad idea, thought Mary, as she began to back toward the kitchen.
Jess' expression quickly changed to one of fear and desperation, as her body continued its gruesome transformation.
"Wait! Please don't ...back away... don't .... leave ....me," pleaded Jess. She paused and winced occasionally, as her bones began to reshape themselves with a series of loud crunches and cracks. Mary couldn't help but wince, too.
"It hurts," groaned Jess, as her body grew longer and thicker. Her clothes struggled to contain her growing mass. Though the tears Mary could see scales extending up and down her body. Her breasts appeared to be shrinking, receding into her flat chest. Her nipples were not visible, either gone or covered by scales.
"I am so sorry, Jess. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. It was just supposed to be a joke. Just a little fun, " said Mary.
With great effort, Jess stood up off the ground. It was hard to stay erect. She had to balance herself on the balls of her feet and she had to hunch over to keep her head and shoulders from bursting through the ceiling. But she wanted to face Mary.
"What ... what is happening to me? What did you do.... what did you do to ME!?!" roared Jess.
"It's okay, Jess. I can fix it. Just wait. Trust me," said Mary.
Jess fell forward with a grunt, landing on all fours. It was impossible to say if she was attempting to reach Mary or that her transformation had caused her to assume a quadruped stance. Jess' body seemed to swell as her chest ballooned out into a barrel shape, her ribcage curbing up to a flat stomach. Her thighs and arms grew thicker packing on more muscle, while her legs and forearms shortened and became thinner.
"It hurts, " grunted Jess. She winced as large thick spikes erupted from her knees, elbows and heels.
"Please .... stop... no more," pleaded Jess. But her body ignored her pleas for mercy. Her neck extended in length with a sickening grinding sound. She curled her now bald head around the living room, trying to find room to rest it. Her body shuddered as small spikes erupted from her neck, rapidly growing larger and extending down her back to the tip of her tail.
Mary turned and ran into the kitchen. There was nothing she could do for her out there in the living room. But if she could find the right vial, she might be able to do something.