Level Up Once More

Level Up Once More.

Grace set down her bag on the hotel bed. “I can’t believe I am here. Tomorrow is going to be the regional match for Call of Victory.” She rolled her shoulder. “All of these hours of practice have led to this. That twenty thousand dollar prize is going to be mine.” She clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait for the tournament tomorrow.”

She grabbed the remote to her rooms’ television. “In the meantime, let’s see what is on, and I can order some room service.” She smiled and pushed her red bangs to the side. “It has been ages since I have been able to order room service.”

“We are coming to you live from Rulselsburg.”  The young reporter on the screen looked shaken.  “Behind me appears to be a woman over a hundred and fifty feet tall.”

Grace sat up. “What kind of nonsense is this?”

“We don’t know where she came from.”  He scratched at his chin.  “All efforts to try and keep her from moving through-

Grace shut off the television. “What a load of bullshit.” She walked over to the phone. “They need to do a better job of telling people what is a horror show and what isn’t. I thought that was supposed to be the news at six, not some early April Fools joke.” She picked up the phone. “Hello, I would like to order some room service, please.” She picked up the menu next to the phone and narrowed her green eyes. “The chili you have here sounds wonderful. It will be up in twenty minutes? Perfect. Thank you. Have a nice day.”

She sighed. “Ok. Now to just wait on my food.” She walked back over to the bed and stopped as she heard a knock at her door. “Hello?” When no one answered, she walked over. “Who is there?” Grace peered through the peephole but didn’t see anyone. “This isn’t funny. Who is out there?”

She slowly opened the door and looked out into the hallway. “Helloooo?” The only people outside were a pair of giggling young kids by the elevator. “Hey, you two.” They looked at her in surprise. “Did you just knock on my door?”

The eldest boy shook his head. “No, miss.”

Grace began to shut her door when she heard a buzzing sound. She looked down to see a phone. “Umm.” She bent over and picked it up. “Did someone forget their phone?”

She looked around. “Anyone?” The kids down the hall had already jumped into the elevator, and no one else was around. “Strange.” Grace shrugged and stepped back inside.

“I wonder who this belongs to.” She sighed. “I bet they miss such a nice phone like this. I just have a crappy flip phone. Maybe. . .” Grace shook her head. “No, I shouldn’t. As much as I hate my phone, I shouldn’t just take this. I will eat my food and then focus on returning this to its rightful owner.” She set it down on the counter next to the television. “The food should be here soon. I can watch something quick while I wait.”

“And more giant blueberries are popping up in the town of Lexition. People are convinced that some virial blueberry outbreak is overtaking the town.”

Grace winced. “Just what is going on? Giant people? Blueberries? Sheesh.”

There was another knock at her door. Grace rolled her eyes. “Not funny.”

“Room service.”

She jumped to her feet and shut off the television. “Oh my. I am so sorry.” She opened the door, and a young man with short blonde hair pushed a cart full of food into her room. “Hello there.”

He lifted her cup of steaming hot chili off of the cart and set it on the table next to the bed. “There you are.” He then straightened his black shirt and apron. “Have a nice day.”

“Hey, wait a minute.”

“Huh?”

She tugged at the side of her tan arm. “Are you going to the tournament tomorrow?”

“I can’t. I have to work. I would love to, though.” He sighed. “Damn boss, works me to death here.”

“Oh, sorry about that.”

“Well, anyway, have a good night. I have other people to deliver food to.” He pulled his cart out into the hallway and closed the door.”

Grace smiled and sat down on the bed. “Well, he was charming. Those blue eyes, that smile. Those broad shoulders.” She sighed.

“Though he could just be a tad smaller.”

The rouge cellphone rang once more. “Ugh, you have got to be kidding me.” Grace stood up and walked over to it. “I should have given you to that cute man.” She picked up the phone. “How do I turn you off?” After a few moments, she accessed the home screen and answered the call. “Hello?”

“This is Nancy. I am not home right now, but if you would like to leave a message, please leave one after the tone.”

“Hello, Nancy? Where are you? There is a giant woman who looks like you on television.”  Grace held the phone at arm's length.  “We are worried about you.”

Grace hung up. “Just whose phone is this?” She ran her hands through her shoulder length red hair. “I swear I feel like this is some big practical joke by someone.” The phone vibrated in her hands. “What now?” She thumbed the phone to check the notification. “Conquest of Kings? The mobile game?” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you want to continue your game?”

Grace shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe after dinner.” She looked at her bowl of chili. “I have put that off long enough.”

She sat down and picked up her spoon with watery eyes. “It looks so good.” She dipped the spoon in and lifted it to her mouth, the chili sliding down her throat and causing an explosion of flavor in her mouth. “Oh god. I believe how good it is.” She took another sip. “Usually, hotel food is crap. This tastes homemade.”

After she finished her meal Grace returned her attention to Nancy’s phone. “Now, let’s see about this game.” She picked up the phone and widened her eyes. “Wow. Just in the time I was eating, that game went off three times. Just what is going on with this thing?” She narrowed her eyes. “Please continue your game. “Hmm, what is the harm in that?” She pressed the continue button, and a shock when through her body.

“Whoh.” Grace dropped the phone onto the ground. “What in the world was that?” She shivered and picked up the phone. “That felt very weird.” Grace yawned.

“I guess I should try and get some shut-eye. I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow.”

She threw the phone over to the side and fell down onto the bed, unable to keep her eyes open. “Screw getting undressed. I am just going to get rest. Get my leg up on my competition.” Grace closed her eyes and began to doze off. Nancy’s phone vibrated and sent a strange sensation through Graces' body as she drifted off. She just shrugged it off and fell into a deep slumber.

***

Grace slowly opened her eyes as the morning light drifted in from the window. “Ugh.

What happened to my alarm?” She stretched out, her leg knocking over the television in the process. “Huh?”

Grace hit her head on the ceiling, and the bed beneath her broke as she sat up. “What in the world happened? Did my room shrink?” She pulled her leg back. “Please tell me I don’t have to pay for that television.” She looked down at the crushed bed underneath her butt. “Or this bed.”

She turned her head as her flip phone in her pocket began to ring. “Ugh, great.”

She tried to slip her fingers into her pants pockets. “Even my clothes are small? I can hardly get my finger into.” She grunted as her finger slipped into her pocket. “There we go.” Grace narrowed her eyes. “This thing is so tiny now. Where is the damn phone?”

In frustration, she ripped her pocket open, her phone and keys flying into the air. “Crap!” She reached out widely to grab her phone, her arms knocking over the tables around her. “Fuck this small room.”

She caught the phone in her palm, and to her luck, it flipped open. She gently lifted it to her ear. “Hello?”

“Grace? Where are you? We said we would meet at the tournament grounds two hours before the event started. You are late, partner.”

She looked around her now wrecked room. “Cassie I overslept I am sorry. Things are a bit out of control here."

“Well, get down here. You have twenty minutes, or we are both disqualified. I am not going to be knocked out of this event because of you. You hear me.”

“Ok. Ok. Don’t worry. I will be there.” The line went dead, and Grace sighed. “As soon as I figure out just how to get out of my hotel room.” She twisted onto her hands and knees, her legs pushing the dresser up against the window and crushing the television. “Fuck.”

She crawled towards the door; she could hear the springs in the other bed give out as her knee fell upon it. A few moments later, Grace came to the small hallway which led to the doorway and groaned. “How am I going to squeeze through there?” She put one elbow into the closet and the other to try and open the doorknob. “Come on, you stupid thing.” Finally, after a few attempts, she jostled the door open and flung it to the side, right off its hinges. “Christ.

I wasn’t even trying.” She looked at her hands. “I should be a bit more careful.”

Grace took a deep breath. “Ok, now to get out of here.” She slipped her right arm through the doorway and then took her left out of the closet. “So far, so good.” Slowly she shimmied her head through the hole. “I never thought I would have to do something like this in my life.”

Once she had her shoulders through the doorway, Grace took a deep breath and put her arms onto the floor. “Ok. This should be easy now.” She suddenly felt a strange jolt run through her body as the cellphone in her room rang.

“What was that?”

Her clothing began to tighten around her body as the hallway started to shrink. “What is going on?” Grace winced as the doorway squeezed her chest. “Oww!” She turned her head. “Fuck.” She slammed her hand down onto the carpet as her head almost pressed against the doorway on the other side. “My shoes feel like they are going to burst.” She took in a few deep breaths. “I think I am done growing, though.” Grace wiped the sweat from her forehead. “Thank god.”

She tried to twist onto her back, but the doorframe held her body tight. “You have got to be kidding me. Just a few moments ago, I could fit.” She slammed her hand down. “I can’t be stuck.” She rubbed her feet together. “My shoes are killing me, but I can’t get them off. And these damn clothes. Ugh.”

“What the hell?”

She turned her head to see the young man who had delivered her room service leaving a room a few doors down. Grace waved her arms. “Hey, can you please help me?”

He closed the door behind him and pushed his cart of cleaning supplies in the other direction. “Umm, sorry. I have work to do.”

“Please.” She pushed against the wall and groaned.

“I am seriously stuck.” Grace shook her head. “You can’t just leave me here.”

He turned his head. “What do you even think I can do?”

“I don’t know.” Grace looked at his cart. “Maybe use something on there to help me slide out? Just help me. I don’t want to have to live my life here.” She slammed her hand down and sent him up a few inches into the air. “I won’t.”

“Ok, ok.” He pushed his cart over to her. “Don’t worry, I will try my best.”

Grace smiled. “Oh, thank you.” She used her right hand to pat him on the head. “Thank you so much.” She took a deep breath in. “I don’t think I have had the pleasure of being introduced to you.”

He pushed the cart up next to her head. “My name is Rodney.”

She smiled. “I am Grace.”

“Well, nice to see you again, Grace.” He grabbed a scrubber and some soap. “I am guessing you are having an interesting morning.”

She propped her head up with her hand. “You could say that. You ever wake up being about fourteen feet tall and continue to grow?”

“Nope. I stopped growing when I was in my teens.” He began to scrub away at her midsection. “Had a real quick growth spurt and just stopped.”

“Well, lucky. I seem to have a growing problem today.”

Rodney took a few steps back. “Ok, there we go. Try and squeeze out now.”

Grace took a deep breath. “Ok.” She rubbed her hands together and then put them onto the walls beside her. “Urugh.” Slowly her body slid out of the doorframe. “It is working.” She came to an abrupt halt when her butt reached the door. “No.” She pulled and pulled, but even her slippery body wasn’t enough to slip on through. “I won’t be stuck now.”

“Hey, what are you doing?” Rodney took a few steps back. “Calm down.”

The sides of the wall began to crack as she pushed. “I am going to get out of here.”

She suddenly broke free of the door, the front end of her body snaking down one end of the hallway. “Ugh.” Grace rubbed her head. “What happened?” She looked up to see that she had freed herself of the grip of the hotel doorway. “Finally.”

A muffled voice came from below. “Can you get off of me?”

Grace pushed herself up, the floor beneath her groaning as she did so. “Oh, I am so sorry, Rodney. Are you hurt?”

He dusted himself off and ran in front of her face. “I am fine.”

He looked at her body. “So now that you are out of your room, how do you plan at getting out of the hotel?”

“I umm.” She tapped her finger on her chin. “I don’t know. I barely made it through one doorway.” She looked at the elevator at the end of the hallway. “I can’t imagine that thing would even support me at my current weight.”

“Think you can fit down the stairwell?”

She lifted her legs and put her head into her hands. “Maybe. But what if I grow again?” Grace shook her head. “Then I would be really stuck, and no amount of soap of strength would save me.” She looked down at the floor between her fingers. “And I am not waiting until I outgrow this hotel. I am not paying for the damages.”

Rodney sighed. “Well, what about the window in your room? We are only about three stories up. Maybe at your size, you could make the jump?” He shrugged. “Or crawl down the side of the building?”

Grace turned her head and looked at the hole which led to her room. “I don’t know.”

He tugged on her arm, his warm skin causing shivers to run through her. “I guess ask yourself would you want to risk being trapped inside the hotel or make what could be a short jump for you.”

Grace smiled. “You are right. Thank you.” She bent over and gave him a small kiss.

“Hey!”

“Oh, sorry.” She blushed and scouted backward into her hotel room. “I will just be moving towards the window now.”

A jolt ran through her body, and her eyes went wide. Oh no.  Grace's body started to grow once more. Her head and arms were thrust forward down the hallway. She pressed Rodney up against the wall as her surroundings closed in on her. Her shoes burst off her feet, and a giant tear appeared down the side of her pants. After the spurt was over, Grace took a deep breath in.

“This is getting obnoxious.” She could feel something squirming under her elbow. “Oh fuck. Rodney?” She lifted her arm as much as she could, and he crawled out onto her other arm. “I am so sorry.”

He grunted and fell onto her chin. “Please don’t grow anymore in here.”

She shook her head. “I will try.” Grace slowly shimmied her way back into her hotel room, just barely able to fit her massive body into the small room. Once inside, she took a deep breath and twisted onto her back. “Ok.” She kicked out with her feet and shattered the window. “I can do this. It is just a small drop.”

Grace slowly moved her feet out the window, the cold wind causing room vibrating shivers through her body. “Come on. Just a bit further.” When her legs were dangling over the edge of the hotel, Rodney ran up to her head.

“How is it going?”

She turned to look at him. “Good, I guess.” She looked up at the ceiling. “I wish I could see the ground.”

“I can run to the edge and call things out for you.”

She pressed him tightly against her body. “That would be great. Thank you.”

His muffled voice escaped from her side. “Yes, now, please stop squeezing me.

I am not an action figure.”

She moved her arm. “Oh, I am sorry.” She blushed. He is just so cute.

He walked towards the open window when a ringing sound stopped him. “Is that your cellphone?”

Grace shrugged, her shoulders pushing one of the beds into the wall. “Umm, it is complicated, but yes. Can you get it?”

“Yes. One second.” He crawled over her chest and slid down the other side of her body. “Here it is.” He picked up the phone and slid it into her pocket. “Ok, good?”

“Ya. Now can you help me down?”

He walked towards the window. “Of course.” He put his hand on her thigh and looked down. “Keep on coming out.” She slowly shimmied out. “Keep coming.” He turned his head. “Hey, wait!”

Before Rodney could react, she knocked him out of the building. “No!” She slid out of the room as fast as she could. “Rodney!”

“Slow down. I don’t want to fall.”

Grace stopped just as her chest was about to fall out of the building. “Rodney?”

She could feel a strange sensation on her pant leg.

“Just stay still, ok. I am going to climb into your pants pocket. Just don’t move.”

She took a deep breath. “Ok.” Her eyes went wide as she felt a jolt run through her body. “Oh no.”

Grace closed her eyes as her face slammed into the ceiling. Her shoulders pushed the furniture against the side of the wall and a second later smushed it like a pancake. Her breasts pushed through to the floor above, the person in the room above her screaming. She could feel her pants rip apart as her legs grew, and Rodney let out a yell for help.

“Grace, do something. Your pants are disintegrating.”

She slid out of the room as fast as she could, her shirt ripping on the foundation when she felt a tug on her toe. She lifted her left leg up slowly, and between her massive body and the cracks in the room, she could see Rodney holding onto her foot. “Just hold on.” She squeezed her shoulders in. “I am almost out.

He wrapped his hands around her ankle. “Please be careful. I don’t want to fall.”

A few moments later, she slid her shoulders out of the building and then quickly twisted around to grab the hole where her window was. Grace made sure to keep her feet elevated so Rodney wouldn’t fall down to the pavement below.

Once she was securely hanging off the side of the hotel, she looked down at Rodney.

“How are you holding up?”

“I just want to be on solid ground. Thank you.”

She took one hand off the ledge and gently picked him up. “Here.” She looked down at the ground. “I think I can make the jump.” Grace gulped. “I hope.” She took a deep breath and let go of the side of the hotel. A few moments later, she landed on the pavement; the impact of her landing caused a small crater and sent the cars around her a few feet into the air.

She looked at Rodney, who she held around the waist in her hand. “That was fun.”

“Yes, well, can you put me down now?”

“Oh, sorry.” She set him down on the pavement. “Well, I guess this is it?”

“Maybe.” He dusted himself off. “I have somewhere to be. A gaming convention or something like that.”

Grace bent down. “The tournament?”

“Yes. I have tickets there to watch, and this is going make it, so I am late.” He crossed his arms.

“Well, we can go together. I am one of the contenders.”

He looked up at her. “You have got to be kidding me? Are you growing like this to take out the competition?”

Grace narrowed her eyes. “No!” She sighed. “Look, do you want a lift or not?”

“I guess. But no more growing. You are running out of clothing as it is.”

She looked at her torn t-shirt. “Yes. I just wish I knew what was causing it.” She bent down and picked him back up. “Let’s be on our way, shall we?”