“Look,” Nic said. He’d turned in his seat to gaze out of the window, and Mitzi followed his eyes. At first, she couldn’t understand what she was looking at. It looked like an ocean in sunset; shadows and red-gold light fought for dominance on the waves. Then she realised the station was burning.

She stood up to get a better look, grinning from ear to ear. One at a time, the others came to stand beside her, peering out of the ship’s windows to admire the destruction they’d created. The fire rolled and billowed, sending up huge clouds of black smoke. Every now and then, something would explode in a pop of white.

“It’s spreading,” Nic said, pointing to the edge of the fire, which clawed its way across the surface of the planet. The light was rippling outwards, absorbing the darkness of the buildings, consuming the shadows and Cymic Parasites alike.

“That’ll be enough to get rid of them all, won’t it?” Adam asked.

“Should be.” Nic grinned widely. “Even if the fire doesn’t make it to every corner, the heat should kill them. I’ll send a signal once we’re back in the atmosphere, and the construction ship will leave this afternoon. By the time it arrives, the fire will have died down, and they can get that communication tower set up.”

Skye, who had been standing at the end of their line, dropped her water bottle and strode towards the doors at the back of the room.

“You okay?” Mitzi called, but Skye didn’t answer. Instead, she pushed inside the bathroom. Mitzi heard the door lock, followed by retching sounds.

“Oh, dear,” Nic sighed, and Mitzi reassessed her opinion of Skye for the third time that day. Guess she’s not so good with stress after all.

They turned back to watch the burning planet as the ship took them closer to the atmosphere. Closer to home.

The war had only just begun, but at least now humanity had a chance.

A NOTE FROM DARCY COATES:

Thank you for reading Parasite! I hope you enjoyed it.

Before you go... I have a small email newsletter. Mailings are infrequent, but it's the main place where I share news about new books, and I'd love to have you join me there. You can add yourself at: www.darcycoates.com/updates

Until next time, happy reading,

--Darcy

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darcy Coates is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen horror and suspense novels.

She lives in the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by a rolling wilderness on all sides, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Learn more at her website: www.darcycoates.com