Chapter Text
Escape. That one word had been ringing in my head for God-knows-how-long. As I gazed into the light of the campfire before me, that one word repeated in my mind. I had just recreated the manuscript for an old episode of "Night Springs" I had pitched, but was rejected by the producers. Now, it was my best chance at escape.
The Dark Place had been suffocating and torturous with deadly shadows coalescing in every corner, waiting to devour me whole. With every passing second, I could feel my sanity slipping away. I had been writing for so long, desperately attempting to find a way to write my escape into reality, but to no avail.
Until now.
This is it. I thought to myself. This has to be the one.
The other three people at the campfire seemed to notice how tense I was, as the man across from me sighed.
"All this sitting and waiting, plus the new guy with us, is just making me way too nervous for this…" he sighed, adjusting his glasses.
"You're always nervous, Dwight," quipped the red-headed woman to my right. "And hey, as long as we keep our eyes peeled and our wits about us, we'll be fine! You've been here longer than any of us. Why not try and set an example for our new friend to show him the ropes of how things work around here?"
"You can't tell me you're not nervous going into these trials, Mikaela," Dwight huffed, crossing his arms. "And don't worry, I'm going to be watching everyone like a hawk so we all make it out alive!" The white-haired goth girl to my left giggled.
"You all… seem to have been here a while," I spoke up, keeping cautious, but trying to find out exactly what I needed to know going into this "trial".
"Tell me about it," Dwight groaned, looking at me with a tired expression. "I'll give you a bit of a warning: you're gonna end up bloody and hurting and there really isn't a way to avoid it. Your best chance at escape is doing what you can to help the rest of us. We're in this together, so we need to be helping each other at every turn. Got it?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Makes sense."
The sky bellowed above us, a dark void opening in the clouds.
"This is it," said the goth. "Good luck everyone."
Within moments, all of us were whisked away somewhere else.
When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a scrapyard. Old vehicles and parts littered the place like a child's messy room. I knew what my objective was: repair the generators, power the exit gates, and don't get caught. I gripped my flashlight tighter.
"Alright…" I breathed. "Just… just walk forward."
Surveying my surroundings, I could see a few piles of junk stacked up next to each other with a wooden pallet leaning up against one. There was a generator about twenty feet away from it at the base of a natural incline. At the top of the incline was… a hangman's noose? Not quite. There was no rope, but a large meathook hanging from it.
Okay… I thought to myself, unnerved. That's not unsettling at all.
Focus. Generator.
Dwight was already at the generator, reaching inside, pulling wires and levers. Mikaela was climbing up the incline to survey the wider area. The goth girl had run off to who-knows-where. I jogged up to the generator to help Dwight repair it.
I'm not a mechanic, nor am I an engineer. I'm a writer, so there's no feasible way I should have known what to do, but finding the right wires to fuse and levers to pull felt like second nature. This didn't surprise me as much as it probably should have. After all, I've never seen the internals of a power generator, much less one that looked like this. However, the Dark Place had given me the ability to rewrite reality. I couldn't remember much of what I wrote, but I must have given myself this uncanny knowledge. It was still difficult and required focus, but perfectly doable.
A blue light enveloped the area and a soft chime rang out. I stopped to look in the direction of the sound to find Mikaela standing up.
"I've got a boon totem set up," she stated as she approached. "While we're within its circle, the killer shouldn't be able to see our auras."
Whatever helps us get this done, I'm not complaining about.
"I'll finish with this gen," Dwight offered. "You guys go find another one, this one's almost done. I'll catch up with you, but try not to go too far."
"Right," I acknowledged, grunting as I stood up. Mikaela motioned for me to follow as we left to find the next generator.
"See those lamps up there?" Mikaela pointed up to just above a wooden wall nearby. "Those are attached to a generator. If they're all lit up and the light is steady, the generator has power. If the lights are off or flashing dimly, it still needs to be repaired."
"Good to know," I thanked her as we approached. "Your name is Mikaela, right?"
"Yep, Mikaela Reid," she properly introduced herself. "And you're a man who needs no introduction! Well, at least not to Sable and I."
"I assume that means you're a fan of my work?" I chuckled, trying to hold back a groan. I hoped Mikaela didn't turn out to be as crazy as Rose.
"Absolutely!" Mikaela bubbled, happily. "I wish we had more time to chat, but I'm a bit of a storyteller, myself! I'll admit, I've taken some inspiration from your books for my own stories.
"Well, if we make it out of here, I'd be happy to hear a few!" I chuckled as I knelt down at the generator. Mikaela seemed a genuinely kind person and a like-minded individual. I shuddered at the thought that she may not make it out alive.
A loud clanging sound snapped me out of my trailing thoughts. I could see the silhouette of the other generator through the walls.
Dwight must have finished the generator.
Before beginning my work on the new generator, I gave a quick look around. Against a nearby wall were a pair of red lockers. Possibly somewhere to hide? I'd have to keep that in mind, just in case. I turned back to the generator to work when, suddenly, the area grew dark.
"W-what's happening?" I asked aloud, my hands beginning to tremble. Was something near?
"I'm not sure," Mikaela breathed, standing up. "We could be in trouble."
Keeping my wits about me, I began to work on the generator, but my now shaking hands had begun to hinder me. I briefly flashed a look up at Mikaela, who was peering around the corner, keeping an eye out for trouble. My heart began to pound in my chest hard enough for me to hear. A creeping dread began to fill my mind and I could feel a pit forming in my stomach. Focus, Wake. I tried to work faster. Put those wires together, pull this lever, loosen that valve…
BOOM!
I recoiled away from the generator as an explosion rocked it from within.
"Shit!" I cursed under my breath, reaching for the wires again. "What did I do?!"
"Alan!" Mikaela whispered harshly to me. "Do you need any help?"
"I could use some, yeah!" My tone was a little harsher than I had intended. Mikaela rushed back to the generator to help me out.
Out of nowhere, the lockers burst open, a horrid creature emerging from it with the screams of a thousand tortured souls. I gasped, falling against the wall next to me with a clatter.
"Run!" Mikaela screamed, rushing to her feet and making a break for safety. As I gazed upon the mass of knobbled flesh and teeth, my heart beat faster and faster until I was sure it would fail on me. I could feel the dark thoughts that had caused it to manifest echoing through my mind from the dark mist that leaked from its form. And then, it lunged at me.
With a shriek of terror, I dove to the side. I pulled myself to my feet and began to run. My breathing was shaky. I knew it was following me. How long would I be able to last? I spotted a shack nearby. Maybe I could loop it there? Maybe, if I held out long enough, it would give up?
With no time to second guess myself, I bolted for the shack. I could hear the creature getting closer as I ran. Was I going to make it? I looked behind me to find the dreaded creature had caught up and was right behind me. It bore an appendage down onto me, slashing through my suit and tearing my flesh. I yelped at the sudden pain, reeling back and stumbling away. I had to do something. I turned at the creature and raised my flashlight, shining it directly into its odd eyes. It recoiled from the burning light as it was blinded. The generator Mikaela and I had been working on came on in the background. I had a chance. There was an open window in the shack low enough for me to vault through. If I could just get through that window, I could force some distance between myself and the monster.
Not looking back, I sprinted for the window, praying I would be fast enough.
A hundred feet.
Fifty.
Twenty-five.
Ten.
Five.
I reached out with a hand, bracing myself against the window frame and leapt through as the darkened sky returned to normal. I had made it! Now what?
I turned around to see how far away the monster was only to find, to my horror, it was gone without a trace. Did it leave with the darkness? Or was it still around? I backed away from the window before looking around the shack. It was small, only a tiny room with an eerie-looking staircase leading down to a basement. To the left of the staircase was another red locker.
If the monster is still around, I can hide until it leaves!
Oh, how foolish I was.
I climbed inside the locker and closed myself inside. It was a tight squeeze, but there was just enough room to stand somewhat comfortably. Even still, it was incredibly claustrophobic. I took a few deep breaths before I remembered:
The monster had burst out of one of these lockers.
Dark mist began to coalesce around me in the locker. Panicking, I slammed the locker door open, desperate to escape, but to no avail. Many hands wrapped themselves around me, pulling me back in as I screamed. The creature exited the locker with me in its grip.
"OW!" I shouted, violently struggling to free myself. "Help! HELP!"
I was too far away for anyone to hear me now.
The creature dragged me down the stairs, kicking and screaming, into the basement. The walls and ceiling dripped with blood as it pooled on the concrete floor. In the center of the room were four meathooks arranged around a pole. The monster moved around to the backmost hook.
"Please," I begged. "Don't do this…"
The monster cared not for my pleading as hoisted me onto the hook.
The back of my ribcage cracked and muscle was ripped to shreds as the hook pushed its way through my shoulder. My lips parted and a howl of agony broke from my throat, hanging by a hook like a slaughtered pig. The monster made its way back up the stairs, leaving me to die. Fearful, pained tears began to fall from my face as I groaned.
"Help me…" I let out in a pitiful wail. "Is anyone there?"
A few moments later, I heard a door creak as the goth girl who had gone running off alone emerged from another locker.
"Hey," she whispered sweetly to me. "You're lucky I was still here. I'd just finished my invocation when I heard you get caught."
"You…" I breathed, barely managing to get my words out. "I-I thought you'd just run off?"
"I did, but it was with a purpose," she explained, reaching up to grab under my arms. "Hold still. This is going to hurt."
I seethed as she lifted me off the hook, blood pouring down my torso. I heaved heavy breaths as I collapsed to my knees. The girl hunched over me, opening the med-kit she was carrying.
"Don't worry, Alan," she intoned, her voice sweet, yet dark and sultry. She pulled out a gauze bandage wrap. "I've got you."
I slowed my shaky breathing, sighing with relief. I had seemingly been blessed by a moment of peace in such a dangerous place.
"That monster," I wondered aloud, hoping the girl might know something. "What was that thing?"
"The Dredge," the girl replied. "It's a manifestation of malthought, summoned forth by a chaos born of paranoia within the members of a cult that banned negative emotions and dark thoughts. When night falls, it grows more powerful, bringing dread to all in the area. It can use the lockers to teleport, so you've gotta be careful hiding in them when you're facing it in a trial.
My name is Sable, by the way. Sable Ward. It's such a delight to meet you, Alan Wake."
"Oh, you're Sable!" I echoed in realization, looking up at her. "Mikaela mentioned the two of you were fans of mine."
"Oh, totally," Sable expressed as she expertly wrapped my wounds. "The dark themes you explore in your Alex Casey novels are delicious. Mikaela and I did a whole episode of our radio show, All Things Wicked Tonight, talking about our favorite books of yours and about the mystery surrounding your disappearance. Neither of us were convinced you were dead like people were saying. I'm glad to see we were right!"
"Huh," I mumbled, still feeling the burning in my shoulder. "People think I'm dead? Sometimes, I wish I could die…"
"I wonder what kinds of things you've seen to make you say that?" Sable hummed in a pleasant manner that caught me off guard. "If only we had the time to talk~"
"You're a little creepy, you know that?" I grumbled, raising an eyebrow at her as she finished bandaging my wounds. Sable giggled darkly as she packed up her med-kit.
"I'm just a girl who likes a good horror story."
As we crept our way out of the basement, Sable and I kept our eyes peeled. Another generator came on as we emerged. I was feeling a bit more confident until we heard Dwight scream. Through the walls of the shack, I could see a red silhouette of a man lying on the ground.
Dwight!
Sable and I exchanged a glance and nodded before rushing in the direction of Dwight's aura. We needed to save him.
Dwight's aura disappeared as he was picked up. I rounded the main building, flashlight in hand, and saw the Dredge carrying Dwight to a hook. I watched carefully, waiting for the right moment. Dwight screamed as he was thrust onto the hook and the Dredge turned around, its red stain painting the ground. I pulled back around the corner with a gasp, holding my flashlight to my chest. Sable crept up to my side as a fourth generator turned on.
"Sable," I instructed her, my heart beating faster as the Dredge approached. "I'm going to try to blind the Dredge with my flashlight. Once I have it distracted, you get Dwight and bring him somewhere safe."
"Are you sure you can handle it?" Sable fretted, placing a hand on my arm.
"I've got this," I assured her. "I've done this before."
"Alright," Sable nodded with a determined look. "I'm ready."
"Count of three," I said, steeling myself and hearing my heartbeat in my ears as the Dredge got closer.
"1… 2… 3!"
I whipped around the corner, pointing the beam of the flashlight directly into the monster's eyes. I held the beam steady and walked at the Dredge as it recoiled from the light, attempting in vain to shield itself with its many hands. Sable sprinted out from behind me, running past the creature straight to the hook. I turned off the flashlight to save power, knowing the plan was working. Now, I just needed to keep the Dredge distracted until the last generator was done.
The Dredge shook off its blindness and the screams of the tortured souls within blared.
"Come at me."
I began to back away, coaxing the creature to chase me. Nightfall came again as the Dredge became enraged. The chase was on.
I rushed back around the main building, weaving my way around piles of junk and car parts. The Dredge crept closer. I rushed past a nearby pallet and slammed it down behind me, right on top of the Dredge, stunning it. I backed away a bit more, watching to see what it would do next. The Dredge raised its appendage.
Is it going to destroy the pallet?
I turned the flashlight back on as it bore the appendage down, breaking the pallet, but being blinded in the process. I turned to run again, hoping to find a way to shake it off my trail now that it had been thoroughly distracted.
Maybe I can find a place to hide from it?
I rounded another corner of the building, finding the path that led back to the second generator. I rushed over to the wooden walls and, once I had broken line of sight, slowly vaulted a lower part of the wall and crouched. The underbrush back here was thick with tall grass and shrubs by the brick wall surrounding the trail site. I quietly crept over to a bush in a corner and promptly went down on my hands and knees to hide.
I could hear my heartbeat again. It was close. My breathing became shaky and heavy again. I saw the red stain creeping across the ground. I covered my mouth with a hand to muffle the sound of my breath and crossed my fingers.
Please, let this work.
The Dredge sauntered by, completely missing me as the final generator came on. An alarm sounded and the auras of two switches became visible for a brief moment. Once I was sure the Dredge had left me, I could make a break for the exit.
The Dredge went still. Had it seen me? Was I done for?
It disappeared and so did the night.
I ran in the direction of the exit gate to my left. This was it. This was my chance! I could finally escape! I could go home! Mikaela, Sable, and Dwight had already reunited there and Mikaela was holding down the switch to open the gate.
"You made it!" Sable sighed, relieved that I'd somehow come away from the situation unharmed.
"I told you I could do it!" I wheezed, forcing out a laugh. I bent over, placing my hands on my knees to help me catch my breath.
The alarm on the gate buzzed, the gate almost fully powered. Just a few more seconds…
There was a locker behind us.
The Dredge burst from the locker with a screech, appendage outstretched. The four of us screamed as we dove out of the way. All except Mikaela.
Mikaela yelped in pain as the appendage struck her, forcing her away from the switch. I backed away as Mikaela ran in my direction. The Dredge turned to face us.
"Shit!"
I quickly drew my flashlight and, with what little battery it still had left, managed to blind the monster one last time. With the creature blinded, I had an opportunity. I sped past the Dredge and pulled the lever on the gate switch.
"Come on, come on.." I urged with a whisper. Luckily, the gate didn't need much more power, as it opened merely two seconds later to reveal a deep fog.
The four of us ran through the gate with the Dredge at our backs, but it couldn't follow us as a wall of black spikes rose from the ground to block its path, ensuring our escape.
I had done it. The story I wrote got me out! I was free! I could go home and see Alice! I…
…What?
I blinked and we were back at the campfire.