The Doomsday Device

The beauty of the tree made me completely forget that I was still on my back with a vine wrapped around my ankle. One quick tug from that vein, though, reminded me quickly that I might be fucked.

The vine was pulled into the tree like the line of a fishing pole, and I was soon hanging in the air from my ankle. At least now, I could say that I knew what a fish on a line felt. Not like I really cared to know that feeling in the first place.

I was hoisted higher in the air until I was dangling over the top of the tree. Looking down, I saw the center of the tree splitting apart to reveal a mouth with razor-sharp teeth. It looked almost like a Venus fly trap, but I had never seen one that looked like a willow. Maybe that was why there was such as large clearing around it. It had literally eaten all of the indigenous species, giving itself access to all the sun and nutrients it needed without competition.