Sisi and her younger brother Vuyo are watching the news, having learned that Russian astronauts have discovered a new plant: Planet X. The photographs they see are of a dark orb on a darker background - Sisi tries to explain to Vuyo how it was found even though she barely understands it herself. The next day, she is late to work, but no one minds because there is an uproar about the finding of a new planet. Headlines in newspapers are all asking the same question: if the planet was discovered through stray radio frequency, then why did it take the aliens so long to contact them? Sisi's friend Azania sends her a link to a news story about cows that have had their intestines bloodlessly scooped out, as a result of which many people are convinced that the aliens have bad intentions. People are now calling them vampires, and there is widespread panic and hysteria. On her way back from work, a preacher on the train manages to convince the passengers that the aliens have come to steal their souls. When she gets home, Vuyo is terrified because their grandmother has told him about the 'vampire-aliens' - Sisi is dismayed, and tries her best to get him to calm down. She wants him to believe that they can be safe, even though the disturbances have begun to worry her. In the days that follow, Sisi is awoken from her bed by shouting outside. The neighbours have cornered a man, accusing him of trying to sneak into their homes - he is covered in blood, and this seems like enough evidence for him. They burn him alive in the square. Sisi stands close enough to him to see that he is just a man, but she does not say anything because she is convinced it will turn the mob against her. When she goes home, Vuyo is still asleep. From the window, she sees the same man walking through the abandoned street with eyes as black as Planet X. When she looks again, he is gone, and her neighbour's gate is swinging in the air. She feels so guilty about her earlier inaction that she chooses not to tell anyone about this, and then experiences only relief.