The Johnson family were enjoying their vacation at the Island Resort when word came from management that due to a viral outbreak, the facility would immediately close for a thorough cleaning and disinfecting. Guests were to leave by 12:00pm the following day, and the balance of their payment would be refunded within two weeks. 

Dan looked at his wife, Valerie, and their two children, Bill and Dana, and openly cursed nature for interrupting what was supposed to be a final family outing before Bill went off to college. The teenager was a highly sought after QB, and this was going to be his last year before spring and summer camps would leave him with no time. Dan was bitterly disappointed. Although he had over twenty years with his company, this was the first time he was able to get two weeks off in a row, and he had immediately planned the getaway. Now, they would have to scramble to get back home. He knew that if the Island Resort was closing, others were as well, meaning a mass of tourists heading back to the states. He again cursed nature. 

Then the family received even more “good news”. Since they had been out of the country, all four of them would have to quarantine for two weeks, then get a new vaccine that had been developed. No it's, ands, or buts. The shot was mandatory, and once home, Dan’s employer, a distribution warehouse, had also informed him that the vaccine was required for work. Valerie worked part-time for the municipal court as a file clerk. Her job also required the vaccine. Bill and Dana were sent letters informing them that the vaccine was mandatory in order to attend school. 

The journey back home was a nightmare. Overbooked flights, long layovers, and luggage sent to the wrong city all contributed to frayed nerves as Dan and his family finally reached their house in the town of Frankenville. The modest one story house had been their home since he and Val married 20 years before. Upkeeps were made, some major like the new roof and electric, and minor ones, including a fresh paint job, helped keep it feeling cozy and intimate. 

Appointments for the shots were made. With Bill going off to college, Dan and Valerie made the decision to get the 1-shot vaccine. That way, it would be done and over with. So the Saturday before the trip out west to Lexicon University, the Johnson family kept their appointment with the local pharmacy and did what was mandated. They were informed of all the known side effects. 1-2 days of aching joints, exhaustion, low-grade fever. Nothing serious and nothing to worry about. 

Both Dan and Valerie made arrangements with their work to take off for 3 days after the shot. That way, if there were any lingering issues, it would be enough time for them to clear up. And since Bill was moving into his dorm room on Saturday, the Tuesday before was D-Day. 

The shots were given without any issue. All four spent the next day basically laying in bed, waiting out the side effects. By Thursday night, the four had their energy back. Bill packed things that he was taking with him. Since his mom already had a minivan, all he had to do was start filling up the back. 

Dan decided to take his family out to dinner the night before his son was to head off to college. The food was great, the mood was great, and tears were shed by Valerie, as she realized that her baby boy was heading into adulthood. 

But near the end of the meal, both mother and daughter had started feeling as if they were coming down with a cold. Not wanting to spoil Bill’s night, both said nothing, figuring a good night’s sleep would help. 

But Valerie and Dana were still feeling under the weather when they woke up. Showers, breakfast and coffee made them feel slightly better, but then the aching started. Both thought about staying home, but Valerie wanted to be there to say goodbye to her son, and Dana didn’t really feel like she wanted to be alone. So the family piled into the van, and headed off to Lexicon University.

Valerie and Dana were very quiet on the ride up. Dan knew that both were feeling a little off, but halfway through the journey, suspected that both weren’t being totally honest about what they were experiencing. 

Once at the college, the girls went into the doom room and just sat down, feeling exhausted and achy. Bill’s new roommate wasn’t there, so Dan and his son brought everything in, and once he was settled, all said their goodbyes, and Dan and his wife and daughter headed back home. Valerie and Dana had trouble keeping their eyes open. Dan got home as quickly as possible, and put the girls to bed. He had Dana sleep with her mom, so when he checked on them later, they would both be there in the same room.

He grew a little concerned. He wouldn’t be able to call the doctor until Monday, but there was an emergency medical place in town that he would take them to as a last resort. He waited for both to fall asleep, then got himself a beer, sitting in his chair, watching a football game. He kept thinking about his wife and daughter, but convinced himself that it was probably a delayed side effect of the vaccine. But he would keep an eye on both.

Dan Johnson was on his second beer when his phone rang. It was his son, Bill, who was calling to check on his mom and sister. Dan told him that they were sleeping, and he didn’t want to disturb them. Bill mentioned that he met his roommate, and was told that his father was a chemist who was studying the effects of the vaccine on lab animals. He had some concerns, and suddenly found himself transferred to another project.

Dan told his son not to worry. He thought Bill was just letting his imagination run wild. He had faith that the government would never force people to get a vaccine that wasn’t safe. He just let Bill go on and on, patiently trying to probe the arguments against. 

Once Bill was done arguing against the vaccine, he mentioned to his father that his roommate was a basketball player, a guy named Ray Stevens. He was from the west coast, although he couldn’t remember where. But he was really cool, so he was thankful he didn’t get stuck with an uptight idiot. Dan laughed, then said goodbye to Bill and hung up, and went back to watching TV.

But as the time approached 11:00pm, a small part of the conversation he had with his son stuck in the back of his mind. What if the vaccine had a detrimental side effect that no one was talking about. He thought of his wife and daughter, and how four days after the vaccine was administered, they were full of energy, and then a day later, were having some form of adverse reaction to the shot. 

He was beginning to worry. He went to check on them. Valerie and Dana were sound asleep. Dan felt their foreheads to see if there were any fever, but both felt normal. He decided to grab a pillow and blanket from Bill’s empty room and sleep on the floor. 

Despite his growing anxiety, he quickly fell into a deep sleep. He stirred sometime after midnight as both girls got up to use the bathroom, only to go back to bed immediately. 

Sunday came and the girls slept through the day, and night. Dan thought about putting in an emergency call to the doctor, to see if he should take them to the hospital, but decided against it. The girls did get up and use the bathroom without incident, so to him that was a reassuring sign. So he got to make himself breakfast, lunch and dinner, and got to enjoy a quiet day working in the backyard, getting ready for the upcoming fall season. And at night, he slept on the floor again. But he also told himself that if his wife and daughter weren’t up and moving around in the morning, he was going to take them to the hospital. 

Dan was driving down his street when he saw the families living in his development running towards him, their faces frozen with fear. Unsure of what was going on, he continued on, only to slam on his brakes. He exited the vehicle, and then saw what was causing the panic.

Two giant women were rampaging through the neighborhood, destroying cars and houses alike. Unable to divert his eyes, he almost fainted when he saw their faces. 

Looming over everything and everyone was Valerie and Dana. His wife and daughter. He couldn’t believe it. How did they get so big? Why were they upset? He couldn’t answer either question. And then a large shadow engulfed him. Looking up, he saw his wife’s giant foot lowering towards him. He couldn’t move, frozen with terror. He tried to yell, but no sound came out. The foot was getting closer and closer, until it was inches above his head. He started crying over his impending doom.

Dan was startled awake by the movement of two sets of feet moving around him. He immediately stood up, but with cobwebs in his head and blurry vision, he immediately thought that something was terribly wrong. He glanced at the clock on the table next to the bed. 7:15am was the readout. He cursed to himself silently as he was due at work a 8. He would not have a lot of time for breakfast and a shower.

But once his mind and vision cleared, he was relieved to see both his wife and daughter awake and moving. He had a fitful night’s sleep, as his concern and anxiety grew and grew. But there they were, standing in front of him. Valerie just looked a little tired. Dana looked tired and confused, as she was complaining of being hungry and having a headache.

He hugged both girls, and asked how they were feeling. Both said they felt drained and were starving. They asked him what day it was and Dan replied Monday. Both mother and daughter looked at each other with surprise. They had slept an entire day away. 

The girls were still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that they slept so much when Dan said that he had to get ready for work. Not having showered or changed his clothes since Saturday, he was in desperate need of both. So he grabbed a quick bite and headed for the bathroom. In an instant, he emerged, cleaner than he had been, and quickly dressed and said his goodbyes to Valerie and Dana. 

Once he left, Valerie made the two of them something to eat. The food hit the spot, although both girls were still feeling hungry after the meal. But both mother and daughter needed showers themselves, once the food was digested and the dishes cleaned, both relaxed for a few minutes before showering. This gave Valerie a chance to call her work and request the week off, which her boss granted. 

After she hung up, mother and daughter took turns in the bathroom, while Dan arrived at work in a joyous mood, due to the fact that both Valerie and Dana were going to be alright. However, his mood quickly went south when his boss informed him that the warehouse was being decimated by employees testing positive for the virus. So until further notice, all shifts were being combined into one that started at 7 in the morning and ending at 11 in the evening. And all employees would be working Monday through Saturday, no exceptions. This put him in a really foul mood, and he called his wife to both explain and vent. But there was nothing that he could do.

Valerie finished up her shower. She dried off, and got dressed. Looking at herself in the mirror, she liked what she saw. The summer dress she had on was hugging the contours of her body, showing off her figure in a way that hadn’t before. She never considered herself a sexy woman, but the outfit made her feel like a million dollars. 

Once Dana was done showering and dressing, mother and daughter went grocery shopping. Dana’s first day of school was the following Monday, and she wanted to get her own snacks. She had to share whatever Bill bought, so she was going to be particular in what she chose.

The trip to the store allowed the girls to have some time for themselves. Valerie tried to subtly ask her daughter if she liked any boys, but Dana would just laugh it off. She did like one boy, but she didn’t want her parents to know until she was sure.

As noon approached, Valerie’s phone rang. It was Bill, calling to make sure that his mom and sister were doing ok. He got a call from Dan letting him know that they were up and moving after spending the previous day in bed. She told her son that she and Dana were fine. She didn’t know what came over them, but whatever it was, passed. She asked him how he was doing, and he told her about his classes, his first football practices, and his roommate. Mom felt so proud of her son. They said goodbye as Bill had to get to class. 

Dan called not long after, while on a break. He just wanted to make sure that everything was ok with his girls. Valerie reassured him that all was well. They told each other that they loved them, and Dan hung up as he had to get back to work.

The rest of Monday went by quickly. Val and Dana made dinner, setting a small plate aside for Dan to eat when he got home from work. When putting dinner away, the girls were expecting to have more leftovers, being that Bill was in college and not there to have seconds and thirds. But the amount left surprised them. It would make a light lunch for either one. Val thought that maybe she miscalculated the amount when following the recipe, so shrugged off the amount of food left.

Tuesday came, and with Dan already at work, Val decided that it was a good day to clean the kitchen. But first she wanted to take a shower. As the warm water ran down her body, she noticed that the shower head was positioned differently than what she was used to. She thought that Dan was probably so tired that he forgot to place the shower head back to its usual position. 

The shower over, Val dried off and dressed in shorts and a shirt. But the clothes were slightly tighter on her than she remembered. She thought that Dan probably did laundry on Sunday and dried the clothes on the incorrect setting, causing them to shrink slightly.

Dana emerged from her bedroom and went into the kitchen for breakfast. She didn't notice that her pajamas were slightly higher up on her legs and arms. Valerie made breakfast for the both of them. And when they were finished, they still felt a little hungry, but Val assumed it was because they ate so fast that they didn't have a chance to feel full. 

The day passed fairly quickly, Val, with Dana’s help, really gave the kitchen a good scrubbing. From the cabinets, to the countertops, the table, stove top, and floor, every area was hit. When the job was finished, mom and daughter admired their work, and washed up so they could start dinner.

The meal was cooked, a plate set aside for Dan, and leftovers put away. Once again, the girls were surprised by how little food was left. They weren't sure what was going on. Bill was in college, so to them, there should have been enough food put away to make a meal for another night. Instead, there was only enough for a light lunch. They couldn't understand why.

Wednesday arrived. Both mother and daughter woke up by 8, and took turns in the shower. When they dressed, they found that their clothes were feeling tighter than usual. Now Val was convinced that Dan did laundry and absentmindedly shrank their clothes. She would have to mention it to him when she saw him again. 

Without set plans, the girls decided to clean the living room, which though had more area than the kitchen, took less time to clean. Dusting and vacuuming, with the girls working together to move the sofa. 

And the familiar pattern continued. The girls cooked dinner, ate, made a plate for Dan, and put what little food left away. It was while she was finishing up dinner that Val felt something was off. The bottom of the cabinets above the countertops had always been level with her eyes. Now she noticed that her eyes were several inches above. She just kept staring at the bottom of the door. She thought that she was either seeing things, or that she and Dana had been working so hard on cleaning that the chemicals they used were causing her perception of things to become warped. She decided to go to bed early, and hoped a good night's sleep would clear up what she thought she saw.

Thursday morning came, and much to Val’s disappointment, her eyes were even higher compared to the bottom of the cabinets. Something was wrong, and she knew it. But she didn't want to alarm Dana, so she decided that she was going to be calm and act as if everything was fine.

But when Dana entered the kitchen, she noticed her daughter’s PJs were higher up on her arms and legs than they were the day before. What's more, Dana was the same height relative to her. If she was experiencing some form of strange growth, then Dana should be a lot smaller than she was. Instead, Dana was nearly as tall as she was. 

Valerie decided to quickly shower and dress. But all her clothes were too small for her, leaving her no other option other than to borrow sweat clothes from Dan. Dana showered and dressed. She ran into the same issue as her mom, but was able to find an outfit that, while tight, was able to somewhat fit her. 

Valerie knocked on the door and said that she was going shopping. Dana asked if she could go with her, and her mom said yes. Dana hadn't really noticed that things were different, as being a girl close to entering her teen years, she wasn't too observant of things going on. For her, it was boys, friends, and music. But she noticed that her clothes didn't fit anymore, and asked her mom why. Val passed it off as a result of her father doing laundry and shrinking their clothes.

Mom and daughter arrived at the department store, and as soon as they entered, they met a former neighbor, a woman named Teri Hatcher. Val really wasn't in the mood to socialize, but didn't want to appear rude. Teri was telling both girls about her new house when Val noticed that her 5’9” friend wasn't too much taller than she was. Teri noticed it too, but didn't want to mention it. Once they said goodbye, and Dana was looking at clothes, Val grabbed her phone and dialed her doctor, asking for an appointment that afternoon. 2:30pm. Val thanked the lady who answered and then went to pick out clothes for herself.

Dana was stunned when the girl at the counter measured her inseam at 28 inches, not 26 inches like it had been the last year and a half. Her shoe size, which had been 5s, was now 7w, and her clothes size increased from 6 to 8. She was confused as to why she suddenly outgrew her clothes.

Valerie has the same measurements as her daughter, and she was expecting the numbers that the fitter came up with. She had no idea what had caused the sudden, unexplained growth spurt. But she was telling herself that it was probably over, even if she knew that to be untrue. Hopefully, the doctor that she had scheduled Dana and herself to see would provide some answers. 

The girls got outfits that fit, paid, and then went to lunch. Dana asked her mom what was happening to them, but Valerie had no answers. She told her daughter that they had a Dr’s appointment later in the afternoon, and hoped that could lead to the answers they needed.

It was time to visit the doctor. Valerie parked the car and she and Dana entered the building. The face sitting at the receptionist desk was familiar. Valerie had known her even before she got the job. She was the mother of a former classmate of Dana. She took down all their information, and mother and daughter took seats.

Within minutes, an assistant,who had just started at the office, took them back to the exam room. The girls took their seats. Valerie was getting more and more apprehensive waiting for the doctor, but wouldn’t let Dana know how she was feeling in order to keep the young girl calm.

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened, and in walked Dr Leonard McCoy. He had been the Johnson’s family physician for the previous 5 years. He was young, in his early 30’s, and quite easy to talk to. He listened to his patients, gently asking probing questions so that he could be as thorough as possible before making any diagnosis. 

He smiled at the girls sitting and asked them how they were doing. Both replied fine, then Dr McCoy sat at his desk and reviewed their files. He noticed that there were no measurements taken, and then shook his head. He had just hired a new assistant named Gina, and he was going to have to stress to her the importance of getting a patient's height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. 

He asked the girls to come over to the scale along the wall. He adjusted the measuring stick to Valerie’s last recorded height, but when he turned around and looked at her standing in front of him, his jaw dropped as he did a double take. 

He was 5’8”, and knew that he should have been 6 inches taller than Valerie Johnson. But the lady in front of him was only a couple of inches shorter than he was. He was about to speak when Valerie explained that was the reason they were there. Something was happening to them, and they didn't know why.

Dr McCoy looked concerned. He had Valerie step up on the scale. 66 inches, 125 lbs. He looked at her file. She was 62 inches and 110lbs when he examined her the month before. He next measured Dana. 65 inches and 120lbs. The month before she was 61 inches and 105 lbs. 

Dr McCoy was momentarily speechless. He looked at both women in front of him. He then asked if anything unusual had happened recently. Valerie told him that the entire family received the vaccine, and everything was normal until the weekend, when the two of them were just overwhelmed with exhaustion and slept from Saturday night to Monday morning, but other than that, they hadn't experienced anything unusual.

Dr McCoy took a medical book from his desk, and standing in front of them, read off a list of symptoms and asked if they had or were experiencing them. But everyone he read off the girls said no to. He thought for a moment. He told them he thought that maybe it was a pituitary issue, that maybe a tumor was forming inside the gland. It would the rarest of rare occurrences for the same thing to happen to mother and daughter at the same time, but it was all he could think of at the moment.

He informed them that he was going to take blood samples and get them tested. Once the results came back, he would have a better idea of what was going on, so he took the samples, and wished the girls a good day. But before they left, he told them that if they had any unexplained symptoms, call him immediately, and he would see them right away. 

The girls promised, and then went out to their car. Dana looked at her mom, and asked if they were going to tell her dad about what was happening. Valerie told her that they would do it on Sunday. He was just too busy with work right now.