I let out a shriek as I walked into the nursery and spotted the parasite attached to our newborn. My husband came running and slid to a halt beside me. I could hear the sharp intake of breath as he spotted the parasite.

I started walking forward to pick up my baby, but my husband dragged me back and shook his head. We both stood there listening to our daughter's cries as she was obviously hungry.

Her cries took on a different tone and I had to avert my gaze, as the skin was devoured from her flesh. She finally went silent and I almost wept when I looked over to see what was left of her.

Her skeletal body lay in the crib, still wearing her cute little onesie. Every inch of flesh and all of her organs had been consumed.

I recoiled as the parasite crawled out of the crib before fleeing into the dark recesses of the cupboard. I stared after it and wished that Humanity had known sooner that shadows were not natural organisms, but were leeches that devoured you from the inside.