Skin

Her head hurt but not from a headache - the skin itself hurt. She tsked at herself when she looked at her hand. She had pulled out some of her hair while she was sleeping. Not much - just a fistful of strands - but more than she'd like. No wonder her head hurt. There were even some hairs on her pillow. The deep, dark red of her hair looked nearly black without the lights on. She grimaced. She was really proud of her hair.

A look at the clock told her it was almost 6:30 pm - she'd been asleep for nearly two hours. And hungry. Again. Maybe she'd have better luck tonight at the bar.

She grabbed her brush and sat at the edge of the bed to fix her hair. After a few strokes she had to actually pick the hair from the bristles before she could continue. She ran her fingers through her hair and was happy to feel it as thick and strong as it ever was. She'd have to call her mother tonight and ask if being allergic to something could cause hair to come out.

The rash was growing. Both legs were completely covered by it and both hands as well. She ran her hand down her left side and felt the rough skin on her hip and ass. The right side was still mostly fine. The strange thing was, it didn't hurt. And it didn't look bad, really. In the right light it still looked like her skin. You could even see the freckles on the top. That seemed odd to her but she'd never had a rash before so maybe it was normal.

She turned from the mirror to grab her clothes and then stopped. Her back was red. Well, the area around her spine and shoulders was. It looked almost inflamed. She reached a hand around and made an experimental scratch. She jumped when she did it - it almost felt like when she played with her nipples. She scratched again and got the same reaction - a small lightning bolt that arced from her back to her leg, passing through her pussy on the way down. She felt herself grow wet from the sensation. Unbelievable, she thought.

Was there time to masturbate? What if...? She walked over to the edge of the wall next to her and turned her back against it. Gently, she leaned back so the edge aligned with her spine. She rubbed herself up the wall and her body shook in response. It was like the hand of God Himself was on her cunt, rubbing her. It was almost like masturbating but so much more alien - better in some ways. She didn't even stop to think of what she must look like. She unhooked her bra and let it dangle in front of her. Her breasts sighed in relief and she didn't notice thin lines where the wire of the bra pressed hard against the sides of her breasts.

Victoria brought her hands up above her head to hold on to the edge of the wall. She dropped her hips and then brought herself up and back, rubbing the cheap wallpaper against her back. Her legs twitched and her toes made little fists in the cheap carpet. She turned her head and moaned into the soft white flesh of her arm. Her tongue flicked out, as if on its own and licked her arm. She dragged herself down and had to hold on tight to the wall to keep from dropping to her knees. She could feel her pussy juice running down her thighs. Up and down, she moved slightly side to side to let the edge rub against her spine and the sides of it as well.

She whimpered as she dragged her back up and down. Her panties caught on the wall and were pulled down slightly, the edge of the wall digging between her ass cheeks. Her juice ran down her legs to her knees. She's never been one to self lubricate much and even when she did, it was usually just enough for sex. The feeling was incredible.

Up and down, up and down. She was having a hard time controlling her legs now. She gripped the wall and moved faster, not caring or even thinking about what this was doing to her back. Up and down, up and down. She grabbed her left tit and pulled it up to her mouth. Her slightly longer tongue flicked out to roll over and wrap around her stiff nipple. Her hips bucked against the wall, slamming it hard as her orgasm tore through her body. Her back felt like it was on fire and she could barely move because of all the twitching.

Only now did she realize what she'd just done. She felt ashamed and terrified. She dragged herself up to the full length mirror in the bathroom to look at her back, almost crying when she saw how red her back was. It looked like someone raked their fingernails up and down her back and ass. There was no blood but it looked bad and she could feel it throbbing with her heartbeat.

Victoria crawled back into bed, crying quietly. She tried to think of what she should do but nothing sounded right. Call her mother? What would she tell her - that she had sex with the hotel wall? Call the emergency room? She couldn't afford it even with her crappy insurance.

Eventually her back stopped throbbing. It still felt hot but not nearly like it did while she was rubbing it before. Her stomach decides things - she needs to eat. Victoria very gently clothed herself, cautious of the skin on her back. She grunted, working to get her bra latched again as the material bites into her flesh.

Victoria dug out her favorite lipstick again. It's a small comfort but she felt like even something as simple as that will help to calm her. As she brought the lipstick up to her mouth, she noticed something - she's missing the fingernail from her right pinky finger. It's gone. There's just a mound of flesh where the fingernail used to be. With everything else that's happened, her mind can't seem to grasp the significance of this. Her fingernail was gone. Just. Gone. She tried to think if it happened earlier with the wall or with the scratching but can't remember. Maybe she scratched herself too hard and it came out? She couldn't remember if fingernails grew back but she told herself they had to. If they get longer then they must grow back, she thought. A part of her feels like she should be more scared than she is but it's a small part that she can't seem to hear.

Thankfully, she doesn't normally paint her fingernails so the missing nail is barely noticeable. She keeps a small cache of band aids in her purse and one of them hides the missing nail quite easily. Better than nothing, she tells herself. She runs her hands through her hair again before leaving and isn't pleased to find more hair coming out in her hands. She tells herself that if she's still losing hair like this tomorrow then she'll leave and beg the money for the flight from her parents.

She looked herself over in the mirror one last time, frowning as she does. Her shirt is nice but it doesn't show anything. Normally she hides behind her clothes but why should she? She brings her hands up to the sides of her breasts, squeezing them together. Maybe that was her problem last night - nobody saw what she really looked like so she ended up with a guy like John. If she showed herself off more, then maybe she'd find someone she liked. Somebody more substantial.

She did have one shirt she'd been saving - it was cut low and she never wore it but she brought it just in case. It's a simple cotton shirt but well made and she's amazed at the effect it has on her when she tries it on. She looked completely different. Whereas she was attractive but a little mousey before, now she looked powerful and sexy. She dug her hands into her bra to pull her breasts into a more comfortable position. She didn't spare a thought as to why her bra is feeling too tight. She's hypnotized by her figure - a true hourglass shape with her hips flaring out and her chest threatening to pop out of her shirt. Thankfully, the rash hasn't made its way to her chest.

The restaurant's bar is fairly packed but there are a couple stools open. She picked one and sat, eyeing the crowd. There are several handsome men around but only a few unattached. She boldly eyed two men sitting in a corner booth and smiled when one of them looked over at her. It takes several more glances and several more smiles before he gets the hint but he finally does. She watched the man excuse himself from his friend as he made his way over to her. She has never felt so self confident before - it's as if she was seized by some crazy, manic energy.

The man is dressed in a classic suit - black pants, white shirt and a silk black tie. His dark jacket draped over his arm. His hair is short and slicked back over his head. She wondered if he was a senator or a president of some company. A glint caught her eye and she glanced down at his sleeves to note he was even wearing cufflinks.

"Hi. Mind if I sit down?" He asked her.

She looked him up and down boldly. "My feelings would be hurt if you didn't." She told him. "I was just about to think of dinner but the thought of eating alone seemed too sad." Her heart was racing and her mind felt like it was going a million miles a minute. She almost felt drugged - here but not present.

"What a coincidence. I haven't eaten yet. My name's Rob." He reached out his right hand towards her.

"Victoria." She said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

They made their way to a booth and ordered drinks. Rob ordered a whiskey and Victoria surprised herself when she asked for the same. Rob raised an eye at her but made no comment.

Victoria smiled coyly at the man sitting across from her. She found herself leaning forward slightly to show off her ample cleavage. The man's eyes flicked down and then back up to her eyes.

"So, Rob, what do you do?" She asked.

"Oh. Uh. Investments. California." He grimaced and took a swallow of his drink. "I have a small company in California and a group of clients I work with. Investments, primarily. I'm just in town visiting some family and thought I'd see about expanding my business a little. Seattle has some amazing companies and my family knows a few important people that might help me win some business. And if I can help companies do better while making a little extra money for myself then I feel happy." He smiled and Victoria found herself warming to this handsome young man. She had no doubt that brilliant smile won him a few clients. That, she thought. And he even smells nice.

When their food finally arrived, her steak was undercooked. Victoria poked at it experimentally while the waiter peppered Rob's salad.

Rob watched pink juice pool out from Victoria's steak. "Oh, excuse me waiter but I think the lady ordered her steak well done."

Victoria waved the water away. "No, no. It's fine. I'll still eat it. I'm starving and it's still good. I don't' think I can live off of bread rolls while waiting for another steak. It's still good." She'd always been grossed out by her friends ordering rare steaks but found that she didn't care right now. She was pleasantly surprised to find it was actually delicious. They ate without speaking, enjoying the quiet of their little booth.

"Don't take this the wrong way but how in the world can you eat that without chewing?" Rob asked.

Victoria paused with her fork halfway to her mouth. "I..." She stopped, thinking back to what she was just doing. Oh my god. I haven't been chewing at all. Just swallowing each bite. She chuckled nervously. "Oh, I've been chewing. I'm just careful about it. Manners, you know." She brought another small piece of steak to her mouth and purposefully chewed it. It somehow felt odd on her teeth.

With dinner done and the plates taken away, they both sat, sipping their drinks. Victoria was utterly relaxed listening to Rob talk about the beaches in California when he stopped to ask if she was okay.

"I'm more than okay. It's wonderful listening to someone that can think beyond their dick." As soon as she said it, she wished she could take it back. She's never been crude before and certainly not in public. She doesn't even know why she said it - she's not drunk or even tipsy.

Rob tilted his head slightly, as if not knowing how to take the comment. He finally decided it was an odd compliment. "I meant your hand. You've been scratching it for the last several minutes and I think you drew a little blood." He told her.

She looked down and immediately hid her hands under the table. She scratched through the dry skin on her left hand without noticing it. That's not what scared her, however. The quick glance she had told her there's not new pink skin underneath - there's something hard and shiny. She looked again but there wasn't enough lighting to see properly. Whatever it was, it was dark and smooth to the touch. While feeling around the area, her finger caught on the edge of the skin. With a small pull, more of her skin came away revealing the same smooth material underneath.

"I think... I think I'm going to be sick." Victoria staggered upright and nearly ran to the bathroom.

Rob stood with her, a look of concern on his face. "Should I...?" Victoria gave him no time to offer help or anything else; she ran to the restrooms while hiding her hand under her armpit.

In the bathroom (thankfully empty) she grabbed a stall, closing the door behind her. She dry heaved into the toilet over and over. Her hands shook against the side of the toilet. She looked at her hand in the harsh fluorescent light. Scales. There's nothing else to call the new skin other than scales. Pure black snake scales. She dry heaved again and still nothing came out.

With a cry she tore at the skin on her hand and it came away easily, exposing more and more of the scales beneath. She beat her hands against the toilet seat while sobbing, chest heaving. When she could see through the tears, she saw her pinky finger band aid in the toilet. Floating along with it was a thick clump of her hair. Victoria brought her hand gingerly up to her head, feeling around her scalp. When she looked at her hand, her eyes widened in fear.

Her pinky finger was no longer missing a fingernail. Or, more precisely, there was now a thick, black talon growing out of the tip of her pinky finger. Victoria wavered and nearly passed out before catching herself.

"Away. I have to get away from here." She pulled herself up and walked to the door, bumping into the wall. She felt feverish and the room swayed dangerously in front of her. She left the bathroom, walking straight for the exit, not even glancing toward the booth she had shared with Rob. Unfortunately, he was waiting for her at the doors leading out of the restaurant. Victoria clutched her left hand in her right armpit, hiding it from him.

"Hey, Victoria! Are you okay? You worried me there. I'm not so ugly that you'd have to run from me, am I?" He chuckled but his face betrayed his emotions -- he was worried for her. Victoria didn't look at him.

"I've... I'm okay. I just... I just have to go." She tried to go around him but he blocked her.

"Are you sure? You don't look good. Here, let me at least give you my card. If you need anything, you call. Don't worry about the time or anything. Just call me, okay?" He put his card out and Victoria grabbed it blindly before shouldering past him. She couldn't breathe and everything was going crazy around her. When she passed close to Rob, she noticed his cologne but there was an undercurrent to the smell, something she never noticed and can't even begin to identify. Her tongue flicks out of her mouth twice, tasting the air.

"Go. I've got to go. Thank you." She mumbled. Nothing made sense and her head was buzzing.

She didn't remember the trip to her room. She has brief memories of people walking past her and looking at her strangely but she doesn't care. She barely remembered to lock the door behind her before she collapsed to the ground.

Victoria twisted on the cheap short pile carpet. Her body jerked as the muscles in her stomach clenched and unclenched over and over. Her nipples dragged against the floor, stiffening against the tight fitting shirt. She rubbed her arms on the ground as her body involuntarily twisted. There was an itch deep in her body that she couldn't seem to scratch and it was driving her crazy. She rolled from her stomach to her back and back again, pushing and rubbing against the ground. Her body was on fire.

She rubbed her hands down her stomach and sides, down over her ass and into her shirt. The muscles in her arm suddenly tightened and she ripped her shirt down the middle. Her breasts were overflowing the bra -- they were larger now and the bra was cutting deep into her skin. It took her three tugs to break the bra down the front. Her shirt hung loose on her shoulders and back.

Victoria felt an itch deep in the center of her brain. Her hands reached up, fingers running through her thick hair but she couldn't reach the itch. Her fingers clenched, digging and pulling into her scalp. Her hands came away with her thick red curls between the fingers. The itch was flaring - hissing and talking and screaming at her. Her hair came out freely as she rubbed her head in the ground and pulled her hair. She felt bumps all over her head - tiny bumps bulging out from her scalp.

Victoria writhed on the ground. Her hands shook against the button of her pants but she couldn't control what she was doing. Hard black claws grew from her fingers, cutting her short, clear fingernails in half. The claws lengthened into short, thick talons with razor points. She tried again to pull at her pants but ended up ripping them into ribbons instead. She couldn't remember how to pull her pants off anymore. Her new claws cut ribbons of dead flesh from her hips and ass as she tore through the pants. Her talons made a sound like steel scratching against steel but the scales underneath her skin were unmarked.

She felt hot, so hot - like someone poured molten steel down her back. She screamed, tearing at her spine with her bare hands, shredding her shirt. The red skin around her spine broke apart, bleeding little trails down her back. Small pink scales lined her spine from her ass to the back of her neck in a bloody trail. Within seconds, the older pink scales darkened to a blood red color and grew larger, covering a six inch span along the length of her spine. She was on her stomach, her back arched with her head pulled back in a silent scream. Her canine teeth lengthened as the teeth next to them fell out to be replaced by smaller sharp teeth. Her tongue elongated, losing some of its girth in the process. At three inches of extra length, the tongue stopped, splitting down the middle, separating the very tip into two parts of pink flesh.

Her vision blurred as her pupils reshaped themselves into vertical slits, her eye color changing to a dark jade green.

Victoria was on her back again, desperately trying to rub the new flesh of her back against something rough. She tore at the flesh of her arms, cutting bloody grooves in her biceps and tearing dead skin from her forearms, revealing more blackened scales. The cuts in her biceps slowly healed over while she trashed.

There was movement on her head but she barely noticed. Whatever it was, it was jerking her head in different directions. She still couldn't focus because of the screaming in her brain and the pain she felt all over her body. Her upper body thickened, retaining her same proportions but growing larger. Her breasts hung full and heavy to her side, the nipples even larger than before. Her shirt and bra lay in tatters on the floor around her.

Suddenly, there came a burning around her cunt. Without conscious thought she tried again to push her pants off but she couldn't move her arms properly. Instead, she contented herself with trying to scratch the impossible itch inside her body. Dead white skin came off easily around her ass and crotch as she scratched. The pitch black scales beneath the old skin started just below her belly button and disappeared into her pants, hidden under dying skin. She can almost feel them growing up her body - it felt like someone has grabbed a handful of her nerve endings and are pulling over and over. The scales came up and cradled her belly in an arc, from the top of her left hip, down just touching her belly button and up again to the top of her other hip.