The Hinterland's Agent

The year is 4023

The agent had been looking forward to his journey to the distant lands and the day had finally dawned. It was going to be a long and dangerous journey but fortunately, he had the technology to help him understand and manoeuvre the terrain. Armed with all he believed necessary, he set off for the far away faction. His mission was simple enough to negotiate a trade deal that would forge beneficial relations for his people.

After several days on the road, he finally arrived at his destination. The faction was near the sea and aside from the salty humid air, there was a lingering feeling of something looming.

Nonetheless, he was well-received by his host and shown where he would lay his head for the night. Tired from his travels, it did not take long for him to fall into a deep sleep.

It seemed like it had only been minutes since he closed his eyes when a loud bang filled the air. He sat up straight and listened keenly for a few moments. Danger, he realised.

From the voices, he gathered that the faction was under attack from their rivals. As he sought to make his way to find out what was happening, he realised that the ambush was headed in his direction. Determined, he decided he would take his chances escaping. In that split second moment, it was better than waiting for death or whatever ills the attackers would bring to his door. 

As fate would have it, he was caught in the onslaught when an object hurled at him from the shadows made contact with his head. He could feel himself slowly slip out of consciousness.

When he came to, he realised that something was different. He sat up slowly and his senses went on overdrive when he realised he was on a boat, surrounded by water for as far as his eyes could see. He also had a companion with him on the boat, he noticed. A robotic companion that he was yet to determine whether it was friend or foe.

He had no tools or gadgets and no way to find out and the text on the robot’s screen conveniently placed on its torso was in a language he had never encountered before.

It had not harmed him thus far but he was still trapped on a boat floating silently to whatever destination he would safely reach. From folklore, there were creatures that lived deep down in the sea and any traveller would do well to not disturb them for many who did would never reach their destination. With this in mind, he dared not pedal as he whiled away the hours.

From time to time, the robot would give him water and rations and he allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, his companion could be friendly.

However, something worried him. He could see numbers ticking on the screen and to him, it seemed like a timer that dictated how much longer his robotic companion would be of help.

Time passed. A day and then another weaved into each other that he lost a sense of how many days he had been in his floating prison. Fortunately, the weather had been bearable and whoever had put him on the boat had had the foresight to provide him with a coat supposedly for the breezy cold nights at sea.

On this particular day, it is the ringing from his robotic friend that jolted him from slumber. There was a message on the screen with a red and blue button but he realised, much to his dismay, that he could not decipher it.

All he knew was that the ringing had to stop if he were to stay safe. Going with his gut, he hit the blue one. It seemed like the more reasonable and friendlier option.

Suddenly there was silence.

However, from the corner of his eye, he noticed that the usually calm sea seemed to have some kind of turbulence underneath. The ringing must have alerted the creatures he’d heard about. With a feeling of dread he realised that something was approaching and he had no capacity to defend himself.

With nowhere to run to, he decided to stay still. After some moments, the creature underneath seemed to have disappeared. Could it have been the growl hunters that he had once heard of?

He shuddered thinking about it. It was said that the growl hunters hunted without eyes. A sinister creature that could find its prey simply by following its sound patterns. He probably would have avoided it were it not for the ringing, he mused.

After a few uneventful days, he was once again woken up by the ringing.

In his grogginess from sleep, he pressed the red button and panic instantly set in. At that moment, he had no idea what he had unleashed..

In an instant, his companion transformed right before his eyes into a different form with daggers for hands.

As he processed the sight before him, suddenly a creature rose from the water. More frightening than he could have even imagined.

Before he could collect his senses and react, his companion launched an attack and subdued the creature.

Time suddenly stood still. Within moments he was scared and confused, unsure of what he had just witnessed.

All he knew was that his companion had just saved his life. On the other hand, and more worrisome, was the fact that his companion could shut down at any moment leaving him vulnerable to prey.

Could he row the boat and make it safely to land? No, that would attract all sorts of prey, maybe even worse than he had just witnessed.

Minutes went by as he mulled over his options. Trapped in his thoughts, he wondered: What does one do in such a situation?

Maybe the only way to survive, he reckoned, was to accept he is already dead.