Tangled Web

Tangled Web

Scott peered into the gloom. "This place gives me the creeps," he muttered. The landscape reminded him of swamps seen back on Earth with dark trees rising out of black water and long streamers of some gossamer substance – Spanish Moss? he wondered -- hanging in the stillness.

"Creepy or not," Melissa said, "this planet has Terra-like water and atmosphere. My initial tests indicate that it's habitable ... at least from an environmental viewpoint."

Jerry looked up from the enviro-sensors. "There doesn't seem to be anything moving out there. A n y t h i n g." He drew the word out for emphasis.

Scott and Melissa turned to him. "What's that supposed to mean?" Scott asked.

"Just that. No insects, animals, birds, fish. Nothing."

"On a planet like this? That's absurd," exclaimed Melissa. A chiming sound diverted her attention. She went over to the science panel, peering at the read out. "You're not going to believe this!"

Scott and Jerry moved to get a better view.

"What the hell?" Jerry blurted.

"Wait," said Scott. "There must be something wrong with the unit."

"I ran full diagnostics and it passed. There are no micro-organisms in the air or water."

"Impossible. Where there's plant life, there has to be something! I'm going out to get some samples," Scott said.

"Hold on," Jerry said. "That's against protocol. It could be you're walking into a trap."

"There's nothing out there," Scott shot back. "You said so yourself."

Over his objections, Melissa helped him gear up and left him with "Be careful."

Scott broke the outer seal and lowered himself to the mud. Moving cautiously, he approached the nearest tree ... and stopped.

"Is everything OK?" Jerry's voice crackled in his ear.

"I'm not sure. This doesn't look like wood ..."

Inside, Melissa and Jerry watched in horror as the "tree" moved, resolving itself into an appendage as the spider's silk wrapped Scott in a hungry embrace.


Notes:
An entry for the 2/08/11 round of "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  [13+]
Prompt: Write a story that includes the line: "You're walking into a trap."

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive" ~ Sir Walter Scott

Word Limit: 300
Word Count: 300

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Ken