After about ten minutes, the ambulance pulled off and stopped.
Mia opened the back and climbed in.
Eliza popped on one of the CDC cases. 'Costume change time?'
Mia hesitated. 'Yes, but I've been listening to emergency dispatch on the scanner. This is even worse than we thought. Township quarantine is breached, but all the checkpoints are still up and trying to contain. CDC is supposed to be handling the pockets outside the township, but only our old Response barracks is doing anything. The Lab has gone silent, presumed breached.'
Eliza looked stunned. 'But how? The lab is way outside the township and security us stupid tight.'
Mia shook her head. 'I think we need to go and find out, even if it was breached, some of our friends might have locked themselves in a lab.'
Al and Angela looked at each other. 'What about us?'
Mia shrugged. 'Once we're past the township roadblock, you did your end of our deal. You can come with us or leave.'
Al looked ready to speak, but Angela quickly said 'We'll go with you.'
Al looked upset. 'But we need to get to Ma.'
Angela shook her head. 'Ma will be fine in Atlanta, if we can help contain this, we are keeping her safe.'
Marcus was still stuffed in the cabinet, his muffled voice came from inside. 'Hell no. We get past the checkpoint and I split!'
That decided, Mia and Eliza donned the hazard suits and reamed the drive.
They came to a stop as a helicopter could be heard overhead.
Mia could be heard talking calmly with someone. This seemed a much easier stop than their last.
The back door opened again. A man in a county sheriff uniform glanced in, winced at Angela and Al's bloody 'injuries', and closed the door.
They drove for another hour. When the ambulance stopped, the sun had set. The five of them exited, Mia had taken them into the woods.
'We'll camp tonight. We're 20 minutes from the Lab, we can be there first thing tomorrow. I don't think any of us want to try it in the dark, especially if they cut the power grid. I'm thinking right now we don't want to be near anyone, there is no knowing what we might find.'
There was some grumbling, especially from Marcus who wanted to leave but wouldn't go wandering the woods in the night.
Mia and Eliza claimed the front seats of the ambulance. Al and Angela claimed the gurney padding and the back of the ambulance. They set most of the bags and other gear outside to make some room. Marcus was again the odd man out, and set about rummaging for something to sleep on.
The group settled in, those in the ambulance rolling their eyes as they heard Marcus hauling a few things into the roof of the ambulance.
A few hours in, the four in the ambulance woke to muffled screaming. As they scrambled outside, something large fell from the roof of the ambulance.
Mia turned on a LED lantern. At her feet was her former Gay Pride lion skin, from which she (and Eliza) had emerged barely a day before. From the muffled shouting, Marcus was inside it and freaking out.
'Marcus calm down!'
Mia and Eliza wrestled the floppy skin and it's contents over, looking for the tear on the spine where they had emerged.
They couldn't find it, there was a thick pucker, a seam of flesh, but sealed tight.
The rolled it back over, hoping to calm Marcus.
'Marcus, what happened?'
There was a pause and muffled heavy breathing, then the trapped man responded. 'I found this costume in the bag and decided to sleep on it. Seemed warm and soft enough. Next thing I know I'm trapped in it!'
They inspected it, trying to figure out what was happening.
Marcus spoke up again. 'Whoever is tickling my feet, stop it. This isn't funny.'
They looked at each other in confusion. Looking down, the formerly limp footpaws were now fully formed. As they watched the calves puffed up and filled out.
Realizing what was happening, Marcus freaked again. The inflating legs now functioned and he stood unsteadily. The head flopped empty, as he was not nearly tall enough for the lion's towering size, and the forearms and paws were likewise flopping.
The loose chest began to press outwards, filling out into Mia's old beefy broad build.
Thick pectorals swelled into existence, pushing the thick mane further outwards. The handpaws likewise gained shape, flexing to work the formidable claws in and out of their sheaths.
The head had been hanging forward, half lost in Mia's old trademark white mane. Rising up, he shook out his mane. With a grunt he leaned against the side of the ambulance.
The lion's loins stirred, cock rapidly rising to attention. With a roar, he reached a spontaneous orgasm, lion cum splattering off the side of the vehicle.
The rest watched in stunned silence.
The lionman slumped to the ground. His eyes opened, not Mia's old golden hue, but a yellow green.
'That... I didn't see that one coming.' It was Marcus's voice, just an octive lower.
Mia launched into her back story for Marcus's benefit, though it didn't begin to explain what had just happened.
They drifted apart and tried to get more rest. Dawn came all too soon, and they piled into the ambulance again. Marcus said nothing but made no more to leave.
As they packed up Mia found a heap of bandages from the ambulance discarded a short distance away. Picking one up, she got a huge whiff of the familiar scent of lion cum. Marcus must have spent the entire night out here furiously pleasuring his new body.
'Sorry, I couldn't help it.' Mia jumped, completely unaware of Marcus's approach. 'Is it supposed to feel this fucking good?'
Mia nodded 'The members of the Pride are very happy with their new lives. I was the only malcontent I know of, and thinking back, I can't understand why I was so unhappy. I had everything I could have wanted. I risked everything and screw up so badly... for clothes? It doesn't make any sense.'