As they finished spreading the beds out onto the floor, Dave couldn't help but marvel at the palace the lobby had become. He watched as Marlene led the charge, while Tracey, Heather, and Erica effortlessly assembled a bed fit for a group of titans. Luckily, that was exactly who it would house.

"Why are you stacking so many over there, Heather?" Marlene asked, watching their tallest member go to work in the corner. "Shouldn't we centralize?"

Heather continued assembling a tower around the nook in the corner. "There's a TV over here. I haven't seen the news in days."

"I'm surprised there's still electricity in this place, honestly. For now, at least." Pat added.

"Yeah, the lights could come off any minute." Erica said. "And it's dark already."

They all stopped working. The magnificent fort was nearly complete, but reality had snuck up on them. Pat sighed. "I'm just going to say it. Erica and I are leaving in the morning."

They all looked at the couple, holding hands on the mattresses. "We're leaving together, and we're going to see what's out there."

"I have some things to get together at my old place." Erica added. "And I guess I should finally tell Craig about..." she gestured to herself. Then she added a joke, "About Pat."

They all laughed. "Better show than tell, I'd say." Heather remarked.

"Oh, we're going to put on a show alright." Erica smiled.

Marlene walked up and hugged her. Erica rested her head on her friend's massive shoulder. "We'll never forget this week. It would be hard not to. But we're going, too."

Everyone nodded. The dominoes had begun to fall. Soon, Tracey, Heather, and Kevin all agreed that they'd all move out when the sun was up. 

"Time to go back to our lives, and see how much we fit into them now." Tracey said. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a raise. Or I guess I could demand one."

"I scared the dickens out of my coworkers already. And that was about 2 feet ago. I bet I can leverage something." Marlene agreed. "And you could start a whole division at your apparel company for new ladies like us, Ashley."

Ashley blinked. She hadn't even thought about going back to work. She had barely wrapped her head around leaving the hotel. Rebecca, next to her, saw it in her face.

"Is it such a good idea, leaving while we might still be infectious?" Rebecca queried.

"I'm still growing, after all." Ashley agreed, relieved.

"That you are." Heather said, walking up to her. She could tell the gap was still closing between them, but Heather still had a few inches on her.

"We'll test in the morning." Erica said. "We still have a few up at the rooms. If nobody wakes up different, we'll do one last check, and head out."

Ashley sighed. So much for that plan. Marlene had quietly been making the final touches on the fort as they all made their announcements. She knew Martin would want to leave bright and early. As she finished, she rose to her full height. "I'll make a dash up to the fourth, grab some tests, and anything everyone would need."

"Let's all go." Dave pitched. "Grab our stuff, make this fort a home."

As they trekked back up the stairs, Dave followed behind with Ashley and Rebecca. Heather, Marlene, and Erica had elected to stay behind to not clog the stairwell, but Ashley had insisted on taking care of herself. "I don't pack light." she admitted.

The men disappeared up the steps as Dave and Rebecca held Ashley, helping her watch her head and shoulders as they ascended. It was a tight squeeze for their growing friend, but they weren't willing to abandon her. "I guess we really do have to leave, huh?" Ashley admitted.

"We could stay in the lobby." Rebecca tried. "Everything's all set up there. No need to climb stairs after we get your stuff." Rebecca tried her best to make herself sound more diplomatic than desperate. She was terrified of leaving the hotel, especially being the only one who must leave alone. Tracey had already admitted she'd made plans to get right back to work. And she lived three states away from the life Rebecca had built in North Carolina.

"No, always leave the party before they make you." Ashley sighed. 

As Rebecca gathered her things alone in Room 421, she made sure to wipe her tears away as they fell. She could already feel herself back at that lonely little apartment. The big reveal of her new self was over, and swiftly overshadowed. The world was changing rapidly, and she was back to being a small fry to half the population. Even Tracey could pick her up with little effort. She gathered herself, and stepped back out into the hallway.

She looked for Dave and Ashley, but there had yet to be a sign. "Coming, Rebecca?"

She spun, and saw Kevin, Pat, and Martin urging her toward them at the stair entrance. She smiled. "Of course."

Dave had finished packing what little remained of the things in his room. It was like a tornado had ripped through on a nightly basis, but now all was quiet. He stepped out and stared at Ashley's closed door. He wondered if she was still putting all her things together, Maybe she needed help. He walked up and knocked. "Ashley?"

Ashley watched all of this from the opposite wall, just next to Dave's door. Even at 8'7", he hadn't even noticed her as he walked by. She crept up, with one silent, long footstep, and wrapped herself around him. Dave stared up at her. "Looking for me?"

"I assume that's Ashley behind those breasts." Dave joked, staring up at the round orbs above him. "At least I hope it is."

Ashley laughed. She knelt down and kissed him. "I'm all packed. I was just waiting for you."

They walked down the hallway, suitcases in hand. Dave had offered to help with Ashley's load, but she insisted she could take care of it, and he wasn't going to argue with her. "So, looks like this is the end." Dave said.

"Yeah, I guess we should start making plans to get out of here." Ashley agreed.

"I don't have a car." Dave said.

"I don't think I would fit in my car, even if it was here." Ashley added.

"So we're both in a predicament." Dave replied.

"The same predicament?" Ashley asked. Neither had said it yet. Would they part ways here? Was this all a fling? Even at her confident new stature, Ashley felt small as she waited for Dave to respond.

"Probably best to figure it out together." Dave finally replied. Ashley smiled. 

As they passed the elevator, she pulled Dave into the little alcove. She loomed over him, letting her arms rest on the wall opposite. Dave stared up at her as her breasts hung just by his head. Her ass arced backward as she leaned lower and lower, letting her body gently rub against him. "I like when we do things together." She kissed him, and his hands automatically rubbed her breasts. She wrapped her arms around him, letting her knee fall to the floor. On her knees, they were nearly the same height.

They kissed, more and more, as Dave felt the passion in him rise. Suddenly, he felt his whole body rise as Ashley stood back up with him in her arms. She thrust him into the open elevator and stepped in carefully herself. The elevator groaned under her weight. She stared up, nervously. "That's doing wonders for my self esteem." she commented.

"Can't be that far of a fall." Dave replied. "Especially for you."

"I'll keep you close." she cooed, pulling him into another kiss. 

As the elevator descended, they held each other closer. They couldn't keep their hands off each other as the groans of the elevator grew louder, until they finally stopped with a ding. "Small miracle." Ashley gasped, breaking free of her lover's embrace.

"Took a shortcut, did you?" Pat asked, from the entrance. They both jumped, staring at Pat, Kevin, Martin, and Rebecca ogling them in the doorway. "Come on, lovebirds."

They all walked into the lobby. The remaining women were huddled around Heather's TV tower, watching alertly. "Anything important?" Kevin asked as he approached. Heather shushed him.

"Sounds like we're not the only ones this new strain has been hitting." Erica commented. They all gathered around the light of the television as a national news anchor reported.

"From across the country, the Omega Variant has been affecting one side of the population in startling and massive ways." The b-roll filtered through before and after pictures of women, between the last week. Videos submitted, showed some women crying, some laughing, all of them bursting out of their clothes. Some men in the corner were looking nervous. Others were just baffled. 

"Though this strain is more aggressive, it's so far showing signs of a longer-term immunity rate. But those exposed to earlier strains should be cautious about their own immunity."

"Well, at least we wont have to worry about growing anymore." Marlene noted. "At least for awhile."

"We're getting reports now that a woman exposed to this variant, if she shows symptoms, can expect to grow up to 9 or ten inches. Some are even reporting in, that they've reached over seven feet."

They all laughed then, looking at themselves, all above 8 feet at this point. "The poor things!" Erica shouted.

"So I guess we are freaks, after all." Heather added. Kevin slid against her, comforting her when she didn't really need it. It was a good excuse to get closer either way, and she appreciated it.

"Looks like I'll have a lot more leverage at work." Marlene commented.

"Same." Tracey agreed. "I might even get a foreman promotion."

"Hell, you could be the whole team." Erica joked. She wondered if Craig was watching this report. Had her mother told him the news? Was he expected an Erica who was a bit taller? Either way, she assumed he'd be shocked.

"I can't help but feel a little... excited." Heather admitted. "Going back to the real world."

"Whatever the real world is now." Kevin interjected.

Rebecca gritted her teeth. She was still 5'11", and the news had just confirmed for everyone to see that was officially short. The excitement of those around her felt like electricity on her skin. She itched with anxiety. "I know I'm going to miss this, though." she erupted.

They all looked at her, arms around her knees.

"We can't wait this long to meet up again." Dave said. "Ten years to get us all in a room hanging out, that's too long."

They all nodded in agreement.

"But we've got to check on our lives." Erica said. Rebecca nodded, defeated. "But that can't take more than a couple weeks. A month?"

"Meet again in a month?" Dave pitched.

"Two months." Heather corrected. "Our house." They all nodded in agreement.

Rebecca sighed. No matter what happened, two months wasn't that far away. 

As the news droned on, they all settled into comfortable positions. Heather stayed right in front of the TV, wrapping herself around Kevin. He could feel her whole body rumble as it slept, finally. The others wandered to their own corner of the massive mattress floor. Martin and Marlene kissed, quietly, as they drifted off to sleep together.

Tracey passed out, spreading as much of her body out amongst the mattresses as she could. "I don't think I'm ever going to get this much space on a bed again." she explained. Erica and Pat weren't far away from her. Pat was sleeping on top of Erica, like a single file pile. Her arms were around him, protectively as her chest rose up and down. Pat couldn't ask for a better pillow.

Rebecca laid next to Dave and Ashley. She had wrapped herself around him, covering him almost completely with her massive body. Even on the wobbly mattresses, Rebecca could tell Ashley was now even taller than Marlene. That made her just the second tallest of the group, behind Heather the Huge. As she felt herself falling into slumber, she let herself feel the happiness of them all together one last time.

"Dave." came a voice in the dark. Dave roused himself awake, feeling warmth all around him still. He stared up, making out Ashley's face in the darkness. It seemed even further away from him than when he'd fallen asleep. He could tell she was worried.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

"I can still feel it." Ashley whispered back. "It's still going."

He knew she meant she was still growing. He could tell just by looking. "It's ok, baby. I'm here."

"What if I'm still growing tomorrow? Will you... will you still leave?" Ashley asked.

Dave sighed. This poor gargantuan creature was terrified she'd be left alone in a cage she was slowly outgrowing. "Ashley, if you want to stay, I'm staying. But even if you're still positive, there's no one to stop you from leaving."

"I don't want to get anyone else sick. I don't want them to end up like me." Ashley whined.

"Gorgeous?" Dave asked.

Ashley sniffed out a laugh. "There's so much that I'm going to have to deal with, Dave. I could be the biggest woman in the world now."

"And I'll be right there with you." Dave said, hugging her tighter. He felt how soft she was now. He felt her hug him back, pressing her chest against his face. It was heaven.

"I never want to leave you." Ashley sighed.

"So does that mean we're going steady?" Dave joked.

"Oh my god, are you asking to be my boyfriend?" Ashley laughed.

"Only if your parents approve." Dave said, kissing her breast. Ashley kissed the top of his head back. They cradled each other, feeling sleep overtake them again in the silent, dark lobby of the Hotel LeGrande.

"Negative!" came a shout that stirred Dave awake yet again. He was alone on the mattress. Everyone else had vacated the fort. He stood up, groggy, following the sound of the voices at the bar.

Inside, he found the whole crew, exactly as he left them, huddled around a table. He pushed through, jovially, to see a line of tests already taken. None looked even close to positive. "We just have Heather left." Kevin said, catching him up to speed.

"In three, two..." Heather said, looking at the timer on her phone.

"I'm calling it. It's negative." Kevin interrupted. She picked him up and kissed him.

"We're free!" Heather announced.

"Free from our ghostly captors." Dave teased.

"Don't step on the moment, David." Heather said, throwing one last glare down at him.

"So I guess that makes you the tallest, officially." Tracey exclaimed.

"I really thought Ashley might beat me there, for a second." Heather replied.

"Wait, where is Ashley?" Rebecca asked, looking around. "Is she still sleeping, Dave?"

Dave looked around now, too. "I thought she was with you."

They wandered back out to the fort. No one was in sight. A loud splash confirmed for them where they should check next.

The group wandered toward the pool room, admiring the cleaning effort that had taken place. Everything that had once bobbed in the water was now neatly stacked in the corner. The pool was useable again, and the only thing in it was a very long shadow swimming below the surface. They watched, as Ashley's head emerged from the water, smiling up at them.

"Hey! I woke up a little early. Decided to take a dip." she remarked. They all were speechless as they watched their naked friend, step slowly up the little inlaid steps of the pool. With each step, her wet body rippled. She was even more massive than Dave remembered. She stared down at all of them. "So what's new?" she chirped.

They all helped her out of the pool room, as she slid on her knees through the narrow doorway. In the wide lobby, she let herself spread out to her new full height. Heather approached her, cautiously. As she stood in front of her, she recognized her eyes came up to Ashley's chin. She was gigantic. "One more measurement, maybe?" Ashley asked.

At the bar, they all helped Ashley figure out just how high above the nine foot mark she had grown. With a cell phone, they had pulled up an inch measurement. But it took a couple of them to finally get to the top of her head at 9 foot 6 inches. "You're a mountain, Ashley." Heather gasped. She wasn't even upset. She was so impressed, staring up at her friend. Just a week ago, they were only an inch apart, in Heather's favor. Now Ashley was the largest woman who had ever existed, if the news was to be believed.

Dave hugged her, wrapping his arms around her hips as best he could. She knelt down and hugged him back. On her knees, she was now still a couple inches taller than him. Rebecca patted her on the shoulder. "Think I should take a test?"

"Only if you want to." Dave replied. Ashley nodded back, standing up and making her way to the testing table. 

"You have fifteen minutes." Heather explained. 

"Mind if I take that time to freshen up?" Ashley asked. "Still naked over here."

The others nodded, watching their friend wander off toward the store room, tugging Dave behind her.

"Do you mind grabbing a few things for me in there?" Ashley asked him at the store room door. "It looks a little cramped."

Dave nodded, stepping in and grabbing the biggest sheets he could find. "You seem to be taking this in stride. At least considering your mood last night."

"I'm done worrying. I have a new body, a new lease on life, and a new, old boyfriend."

Dave felt her presence in the doorway. He stared back, looking at the bottom of her tits peeking out from the top of the doorframe. He walked toward her, wrapping a sheet around her wide hips. "I've got it." she purred, wrapping her hand around his as she styled the sheet into a miniskirt of her own taste.

"Looks nice." Dave commented.

"It's easy access, too." Ashley replied. She pulled Dave out of the store room, and pushed him down onto the hallway. Her tits were pressed against him, even as she hung over him with her arms out. She was absolutely massive, staring down at him hungrily. "One last time?" she asked.

Dave's response was a kiss, as he brought her closer, urging her more and more with each separating peck. She fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. She was on top of him fully, letting her legs wrap around him as she rolled over onto the floor. They made out on their sides, letting their hands explore one another as their skin dug into the rough berber carpet. Dave dug his toes against her sex, as his tongue went deeper into her mouth. She moaned, feeling his foot slide against her wet pussy. It was a strange, new feeling, but the best they could do given the circumstances.

Dave released her from his kiss, and traveled downward. He kissed each of her breasts, feeling her nipples harden between his lips. She purred louder, letting her hips writhe as she felt him travel further downward. He kissed her stomach, feeling her taut muscles pulse with each peck. His fingers had already crept along her warm, wet cunt as he kissed around the curves of her hips. Every inch of her was soft, supple flesh that ached from his touch. He could hear her distant moans of pleasure as his fingers rubbed more against her clit.

He brought his tongue between his fingers, watching her long legs spasm with each lick. She was turning into putty fast. But she wasn't going to let him have all the fun. Ashley snatched him up. She thrust him, standing, against the wall, running her long fingers along the sides of his body. Dave gasped with pleasure as he felt Ashley kiss his neck. Her hands rubbed his hands as she gave him a peck on the cheek, before sliding down to his cock. She wrapped her lips around it, pushing her feet against the opposite wall as she bounced her face against him. He watched her ass ripple with each bounce as she sucked on him. He bit his lip, feeling the pleasure rise fast in his chest.

"Wait." he breathed. He grabbed her, and spun her around (with her help). Ashley found herself staring at the wall as she felt Dave enter her. She gasped, as he thrust back and forth. Dave felt her ass pound against him as she fucked him back. They both moaned as they felt themselves lose control. Dave grabbed onto Ashley's hips for dear life as Ashley pounded her fists against the opposite wall. Her knees slid against the carpet as she fucked him faster and faster. "I'm coming, Dave. I love you!" she wheezed.

"I love you too, Ashley!" he shouted back feeling himself ejaculate.

Ashley felt him cum in her, and let out a deep, satisfied moan as her body shook with pleasure. She collapsed on the floor, pulling Dave close to her. They kissed, one last kiss of ecstasy before melting into post-coital bliss. Ashley breathed heavily, staring down at Dave resting on her chest. "Think that was fifteen minutes?"

Ashley and Dave walked back into the bar. Ashley was now dressed in three separate sheets, that she had fashioned into the closest thing to a conservative outfit she could. She was going out into public, after all. "What's the damage?" she asked.

"Not even a faint line, Ash." Rebecca replied. "You're all done."

Dave and Ashley sighed deeply, then. It was all over. And they knew they could make it work. The group all fell into a hug then, letting this be the final confirmation they need that it was time to head out.

In the parking lot, Marlene and Martin had begun setting up their jeep to fit Marlene's long legs. "I'll just sit facing backward." she remarked, demonstrating how she'd spread her legs out into the backseat, with the top of the front seat now removed.

"Seems dangerous." Martin replied.

"I'll be fine. It's just to get us into town." There was no arguing with her. With a final individual hug from everyone, Martin and Marlene piled into their car, and waved as they drove off to their home two hours away in northern Michigan.

Erica and Pat were next. Pat had driven his convertible, hoping to impress his friends. But they were now only seeing it for the first time. After more hugs, Erica spread her legs across Pat's lap, letting them dangle out the other side of the car. With a flirty wave, they were off to Baltimore, to give Erica's ex the biggest shock of his life. The wind swept through her hair as Erica felt more free than she had in months.

Tracey climbed into her truck, as easily as she ever had. What was once a road monster to compensate for her small frame was now a slightly cramped compact car for someone her size. She threw out a handful of gadgets she'd been to make it easier to reach things onto the parking lot asphalt. Cramped inside her cabin, she smiled at the remaining crew. "First stop is an auto body shop, I think. Make some changes." They all nodded, laughing as their huge friend drove away in a cloud of exhaust, toward Florida.

Then there were five.

"End of an era." Kevin said.

"Dawn of a new species." Dave replied.

Heather and Ashley rolled their eyes. Rebecca hid her laugh. She was trying as best she could not to cry, but it was falling apart fast.

"What are you driving these days?" Dave asked. Kevin walked them over to a small sedan on the edge of the lot. They walked past many abandoned cars as they went, noting just how anarchic those last days had become.

"Maybe they caught a shuttle." Kevin tried.

"Maybe it'll come back." Dave helped.

"Oh for heaven's sake." Heather said, snatching the keys from Kevin's hand. She opened the passenger side door, and with one motion, ripped the passenger seat out from the car. She tossed it into the lot like it was a candy bar wrapper and stuff herself into the backseat. Her legs stretched out along the length of the car. She was stuffed, but not uncomfortable. "Thanks for a lovely week, everyone."

"Best of my life, at least." Kevin added.

"Wait two months." Dave replied.

Kevin smiled. "Two months."

He stepped into the car, and drove his towering queen back to their tiny home in Central Michigan.

"Well I guess this is it." Rebecca sobbed. Dave and Ashley turned to her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I couldn't have asked for a better Immune Squad." 

Ashley wrapped Rebecca into a hug. Rebecca pressed her head against her best friend's stomach, crying into it. "Just promise me you'll be at Kevin and Heather's in two months. I won't handle it if I can't see you both."

"Beccs, what are you talking about?" Ashley asked.

Rebecca's heart stopped. "The promise we made. Two months?" She turned to Dave, terrified.

"Rebecca..." Dave started. "We thought you were coming with us."

Rebecca felt her spirit set on fire. Her mouth widened into a shining smile. "You'd let me?"

"We wouldn't take no for an answer." Ashley rumbled above them. 

Rebecca shifted immediately back to host mode. "We'll take my car." she sniffled.

"Good, because we don't have one." Dave replied.

"I thought I was going to have to carry you both to a bus depot." Ashley laughed.

"I rented a big, honking SUV for the trip. Thought it went with my new look." Rebecca chuckled. "That feels like a lifetime ago."

"Just in time for the new lifetime." Ashley said, hugging her friend as they walked toward a massive car on the edge of the lot. Rebecca clicked it unlocked. They all worked together to stuff the seats back down so Ashley could spread out along the wide back area all by herself. She lounged, like an empress in a modern-day litter. Her wide body made the back of the car sink toward the ground. "Sorry."

"Get used to it, baby." Dave said, hopping in the passenger seat. "It may take a bit for the world to catch up to you."

"They better get ready." Ashley smirked, running her hand along Dave's shoulder. "It's weird to think it's all over, though."

Rebecca smiled. climbing in to the driver's seat. "Good to have a little stability for once, though." she replied.

Her smile fell. Her legs felt cramped against the pedal. She pushed her seat back, just a bit. Ashley noticed.

"Everything ok?" she asked.

"Fine, fine. I just thought I already had this seat adjusted." Rebecca replied. She flushed, a little embarrassed. But the flush didn't go away. Rebecca put her hand to her mouth, hiding her shock as she felt her shirt tighten just a little against her chest. She smiled even wider this time.

"Off we go, then."