"They spread through the copies they make. They don't have a stomach so much as dissolve you and add your matter to theirs. One's all it takes to devour a population. Every person who's eaten and changed into a Thing increases their numbers. We only knew it could replace people because we caught it feeding on Charnauk, our lead dog. We had a man alone guarding it when it escaped." Kinner swallows hard. He knows exactly what must've happened to Connant. "We put things together after that."

🧠🦀❓ Kinner wonders if the Brain Crabs are related to the Thing or hunt in a similar way.

"Sure. I'll take that offer. Next time, I'll take one of your tests as payment. What are Brain Crabs?"