The alarming bun

Blood.

This was drawn half an hour before bed. When I was already dying after a whole night of studying. This is a specific plot point.

He tore out all his nails. But don't worry, they'll grow back eventually.

It started unnoticed. One day, Mark realized he'd outgrown the pants he'd bought last week overnight. And it wouldn't have been a big deal if he'd only grown wider. Being overweight had never bothered Mark. But he was growing taller and taller. How much taller could he get, when he was already two meters tall at eighteen? Apparently, there was plenty.

His body ached terribly, resisting the change. Every night, Mark woke to cramps in his rapidly growing legs.

Today, as before, he was brought out of sleep by a pain in his arm, which felt like it was about to be torn off.

As soon as the pain subsided, he sat up in bed, trying to compose himself. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and a slight tremor ran through his shoulders.

Another change. The young man's body temperature had become abnormally high. 40°C is abnormal for a human. That's why Mark sometimes had nightmares and hallucinations that seemed real.

Tears welled up in his eyes. He was scared. Mark didn't understand what was wrong with him. And what was even worse was that it seemed the same fate would befall Margot.

Not long ago, his sister had begun to rapidly gain height. This couldn't be a coincidence. And this realization was terrifying.

Besides the pain, he was also plagued by an itching sensation. It felt like his teeth were itching from the inside, and his nails, which had begun to peel, were also itching.

Attempts to sleep were unsuccessful. All Mark could do was pick at his nails. Small wounds appeared on some of his fingers. After picking at one of the itchiest nails, Mark felt the nail plate peel away from his finger. It was as if he'd ripped a sticker off his skin. The itching didn't go away, but now the area left by the nail began to bleed.