Alan Wake

Episode 2.1: Good Memories

Previously on Alan Wake...

I came to Bright Falls with Alice and now she's missing. I woke up behind the wheel of a crashed car. I'm missing a week. I was attacked by shadowy men straight from a nightmare. The sheriff took me to the lake Alice and I stayed at but the cabin had disappeared.

Episode 2: Taken

Thirty years ago

New York City

I opened the door clumsily with the bag of groceries on my left arm. It was tough when you have to do one thing while holding another and it was a relief I have gotten home with the blizzard outside. I closed the door, locking it behind me with the keys before I placed them on a table beside me.

"Honey, I'm home!" I called out.

"Back here, sweetie. How was it?" Alice's angelic voice was heard from one of the room in front of me.

"Worst weather I've ever seen," I replied, walking into the room. Photos were hanging from one end of the small room to another end of the room. Photos which includes pictures of me.

"You should put some coffee on," she suggested. "It'll warm you up," she continued, her voice become softer at the sight of me. "Hey, handsome. This is gonna be a long night, but these shots are turning out great,"

"I guess you're gonna need that coffee, then. I'll go put it on," I spoke, obeying her as I walked out of the room for the coffee maker.

I only took a few steps before I managed to reach the kitchen. I pushed the switch for the coffee machine and it came to life. I looked out of the window. The weather was not changing and in fact, it was getting worse.

"Coffee's on," I reported to her.

"Great, thanks!" Alice thanked. "I'll need it if I'm going to finish it by tomorrow," I walked into the room once more, the computer screen still on and the scanner also producing white light. "Oh, hey, I just finished those cover mock-ups. They're on your desk. Tell me what you think," Alice requested.

"No kidding?" I asked, surprised. "I didn't think you'd get them done so quickly,"

"On occation, I can perform all sorts of miracles, my dear," she replied jokingly.

I walked to my room, containing my excitement. I stared at the mock-ups and as the usual, I found them very amazing and nice. One of the mock-ups was me holding the lastest novel that I have wrote 'The Sudden Stop'. Another one was the intended cover page for 'The Sudden Stop'.

"These look really good," I praised, amazed at her work.

"Oh, sure, until Barry gets his hands on them. Which, by the way, will happen over my dead body," Alice continued. "The last time was the last time. Oh and speaking of Barry, he called--" Before she could finish her sentence, the lights went out suddenly, leaving the whole apartment in darkness. Alice gasped. "Alan?" she asked in the darkness and requested. "Alan, please check the fuse box," She sounded as if the world was about to end but I beared with it since she is my wife.

"I'm right here. I'm on it, honey," I assured. I ran for the fuse box. It was easy since it was located beside the main door.

"Please hurry!" she cried out again desperately. I grabbed a flashlight from the drawers and checked the fuse box.

"Honey, it's a power outage. I've got the flashlight," I told her. I ran into her room, her hands sunk deeps into her arms. "You okay?" I asked her.

"I'm sorry. I just -- it really just spooked me," she apologised.

"Don't worry," I told her, ignoring her apology. "We'll just break out the candles,"

"I know it's stupid, but it's just -- especially when I'm not prepared for it, you know? It gets to me," she told me, her shoulder resting on my body as we both set on the sofa. The candles were still a comforting light source compared to the lightbulbs.

"I love you," I suddenly uttered out.

She smiled at me and continued, "Tell me a story, writer,"

"Okay," I accepted as she adjusted herself, her head now leaning onto my chest and her body weight now on my chest. "I used to have these nightmares when I was a kid. The dark spooked me too.  When it got really bad, my mom gave me this old light switcher. She called it the Clicker,"

"The Clicker, huh?" she sounded curious. 

"Yeah. If I ever got scared of the dark, I could just flip the switch on and a magic light would scare the monsters away," I continued.

"Oh, sure," Alice replied, sounding unconvinced.

"Here it is," I said, showing her the Clicker, which was really a light switch. An old light switch.

"Alan!" she spoke laughing.

"Maybe it'll help you it," I suggested.

"Yeah, nice story, writer boy. You made that up right now, didn't you?" she asked me, still unconvinced.

"No, no! Seriously," I denied as she continued to giggled. She leaned towards me now, her head closing to mine.

"I love you -- even if you are a liar. Thanks for this," she continued, her face full of smiles and she placed her hands onto mine and the Clicker. She leaned towards me even closer and kissed me. I did the same, feeling her moist lips on mine. 

However, this was the past. My past filled with happiness. Now, things have went horribly wrong. This part of my memory was my only way to convince that she was not dead but a piercing light shone into my eyes, forcing me to escape from my memories as it hurt my eyes, sending me back to the cold and hard reality.