Parasite

Parasites (Russian: Паразит) are a species of carnivorous parasitic alien organisms that appear as enemies in World Decay Cold War and it's DLCs. Parasites are roughly the shape of a pumpkin and have distinctive, large mouths on their underbellies that are used to latch onto the heads of Humanoid hosts to control them.

## Biology

While the Biology of Parasites can differ drastically depending on the subspecies, they generally share a few traits in common, such as being able to control Humanoid hosts, having mouths on their underbellies, not having eyes, etc. On Earth, they primarily rely on Humans as hosts, but can take over other species, as observed with Zombie Assassins. With a few exceptions, Parasites lack any sense of self-preservation and will often lunge at targets without warning. Some versions, like Electric Parasites, are more intelligent than most other versions, and display curious, playful behavior, and will attack in a more strategic manner. Despite not being able to control hosts, Parasite Queens are bulletproof because of their shells, and can easily kill targets by impaling them with their armored legs, or by vomiting poison at them.

The life cycle of parasites is not entirely known. It is observed that they hatch from eggs lain by Queens, and mature over a period of around a week. Most will find and control a host, but if they consume enough meat, they can eventually evolve into a Queen. It is unknown how or why Fast and Poison Parasites evolved, but it seems that they are more effective at hunting hosts. They can also be bred artificially, as observed with the "Birth Pod", which is a large, severed Queen sack captured by the Soviets and used to Breed Parasites for use as biological weapons.

## Known Subspecies and Variants

### Standard Parasite

Standard Parasites are the most basic and by far the most common variety of the species, from which all other versions evolved. They display aggressive behavior and will attack prey relentlessly. Their strength is entirely dependent on numbers, however, as they are very weak individually and can be killed with only a few gunshots. They also do little damage to the player, but can prove to be a distraction in combat if the latch onto the player's head. They seem to born from Parasite Queens, although they can also hatch from eggs. When they latch onto a human host, they will create a Zombie, and, in rare cases, a Mutant Zombie.

### Fast Parasite

Fast Parasites are sleaker, lighter, and more mobile than their standard counterparts. In addition to being able to run significantly faster and jump higher, Fast Parasites will also create Fast Zombies when they take over a host.

### Poison Parasite

Poison Parasites are easily distinguishable from other variants because of their unique black skin color and spiny, tarantula-like hairs on their legs and back. They possess a type of poison lethal to humans and other species.

### Armored Parasite

Armored Parasites are Standard Parasite that appear to be infected with a type of unidentified fungus that forms a hard, shell-like material on the creature's skin. This renders them effectively bullet-proof, but can be killed with shots to the mouth, legs, and underbelly. If they latch onto a human, they will create an Armored Zombie, which behaves the same as a normal zombie, but is immune to headshots. Armored Parasites are somewhat uncommon.

### Electric Parasite

Electric Parasites are an extremely rare subspecies that only appear in the entire game twice. They move quickly and have scaly blueish skin. Electric Parasites also have "tails", a trait not observed in any other Parasite variety. This is a long appendage which has a spike on the end that can fire balls of electricity. In addition to this, another major difference is that the mouth is located on the front instead of on the underside. They zombify humans by burrowing into the flesh, as opposed to latching onto the head.

### Parasite Queen

Parasite Queens are massive creatures that are believed to be the final stage of a Parasite's life cycle. They are around 10 feet tall, and are covered in thick, greenish armor. The most unique feature is the large, bulbous sack that hangs from the Queen's underbelly. This appears to be some kind of reproductive organ, and has a small opening on the bottom which is used to eject Immature Parasites. They cannot attach to hosts due to their size and lack of a mouth.

### Immature Parasite

Immature Parasites are small, newborn Parasites. They are smaller than the fully-grown version, and don't appear to have mouths, but will still attack the player. They can be killed easily, and only appear alongside Queens.