The Leech

"The Leech" by Phillips Barbee is a science fiction story from the 1950s that follows a gigantic, leech-like alien who touches down on Earth and starts eating everything it can find. The story kicks off when Professor Micheals stumbles upon the creature, soon becoming a huge problem for everyone. The military tries to stop it, led by General O'Donnell, who wants to use extreme measures, like nuclear bombs to get rid of the giant leech. But they quickly learn that traditional weapons don't work the way they expect, resulting in surprising results. The big shock is that the military's plan to destroy the leech causes it to break apart into tiny spores that fly into space, and the event raises themes of humanity's contact with what they don't understand.