Alan Wake: Chapter 2 - "In Darkness Dwells"

[Knight Rise]

2​

In Darkness Dwells​

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No matter where I hid, no matter how fast I tried to run, Colt seemed to be there. The forest pines showed me no mercy as I tried to merge with the shadows to lose this monster. But the shadows were on his side. Whenever I tried to vanish, the sound of a tree being hacked always came back to haunt me. It seemed like my own creation would chase me to the ends of the earth. But why did he want me?
I was beginning to lose hope as I began to lose my breath. My sprints became shorter and I was drenched in sweat. I could feel my throat become drier by the minute. If I had come to my senses earlier, I would've yelled for help and hoped the local police would hear my echo from the side of the mountain. But it was no use now. I felt my voice grow thinner. Whatever chance I had at help was gone with my vocals. I had to keep moving.
The chase finally led us to a direct path towards Olympus. Now it was a matter of staying ahead of Colt long enough to reach the lighthouse. The pathway towards the trail was narrow. You could see the town below glow with light like a light bulb hanging in a dark attic, all alone, cold, and abandoned. One wrong step and that would be the last story the world would hear from Alan Wake.
I turned to see how far away Colt was. I couldn't see him, but I could hear the sounds of the pines come crashing to the ground. It grew louder and louder and finally he emerged from the trees. I was about to move, but then something else emerged behind him. I couldn't believe my eyes; there were two of him.
"STAY BACK!" I roared at the duo.
They laughed menacingly at me, their rotting grins still baring at me. And then I knew this was the end. The shadows of the trees rose from the ground, forming like clay into figures wielding chainsaws and axes. An army of murderous lumberjacks that were thirsty for blood; and they were willing to settle for me.
Now every hint of darkness was after me. The shadows of Olympus began to leap off the rocks and the blackness of the towns glow began to crawl up towards the path. I was outnumbered. I dashed towards the mountain, careful to jump over the cold hands that were reaching over the edge of the trail, and leaped towards the edge of a flat rock and grasped it with all my strength. I didn't dare look down. I looked up and saw a beam of light slowly rotate around the peak. As the lumberjacks started to close in on me, I began my climb.
I felt like these were my last moments. If the army of Colts didn't kill me, gravity would. With each reach towards another rock, my strength began to give out. For a moment, I stayed in the same position for a few minutes, kicking the hands that shot out for my ankle. My eyes began to sting as they battled the frost that hung in the wind. Any other man probably would've let go, ended his life like there was nothing else he could live for or do. But I had to keep trying. I was not ready to die.
As I saw the light grow brighter, I realized I was nearing the top. If you could see Bright Falls from a 2-D point of view, you would see at the bottom small, jagged squares that represent the homes and above it would seem like a dog had taken a humongous bite out of a paper bag, representing the tall, uneven points of the mountains. You would also see a faint yellow glow at the top of the tallest mountain for the lighthouse. And if you look closely you can see a small dot inching its way towards the glow, followed by a swarm of dots; the silhouettes of my fate.
God finally gave me one more chance. I pulled myself up onto the actual path towards the lighthouse. I looked upwards at the glow. A good eleven feet stood between life and death. At least now I didn't have to climb; now it was a matter of speed. Peering over the ledge, I could see the lumberjacks slowly but surely making their way up. This is my advantage, I thought quietly. I eyed a boulder that sat next to the ledge and for once I had done something I hadn't done all day. I grinned.
I pushed with what little strength I had left on the boulder. This ought to hold them for a while, I thought menacingly. Then came the feeling I had been waiting for; the boulder, half on the ledge and half in the air, and the first Colt that made his way up.
"Happy landings," I whispered coldly.
Colt's eyes were wide as the boulder closed in on his face. The boulder clobbered all of them, relentlessly knocking them off of each ledge. Some survived sadly enough. I sprinted towards the top as the thud of the rock hit the pines below. The nightmare was almost over.
The lighthouse was polished on the inside. It had the appearance of a new pearl just from a fresh oyster. In the middle, the giant light beckoned me towards its presence. The glow filled the rounded room with hope and peace. I brushed the frost off my brown jacket and made my way towards it. And just when I thought this horrid day was over, the unbelievable happened. The power went out.
"N-n-no," I stammered at the room. "It wasn't supposed to end like this! NOT LIKE THIS!"
My body shook as I looked around the giant light bulb to find some emergency crank to keep it running. No such luck. As I hurried around the edge of the room, looking for a fuse box of some sort, a whoosh of air filled the darkness. It sounded like a cat swiping at a bird that was taunting it from above. Or more like an axe cutting the air.
I refused to turn around. This is it, I thought softly, my eyes beginning to water. No more Alan Wake. No more famed books on suspense. No more coming home to my wife and sitting by the fire, drinking coffee and listening to Sinatra. As I waited for the final blow, I leaned over the railing and spotted something on a ledge maybe 3 feet below. A long tube with a glare at the end as the town lights softly reflected off of it. I knew what it was instantly. A tourist must've come up here hiking in the dark earlier for laying on top of small pile of ice and frost was a flashlight.
I thrusted myself over the railing and scurried down the 3 feet of rock. The flashlight was jet black and had a metallic appearance to it. The words T. Zane were written on the side of it. This Zane character must've dropped the flashlight while overlooking the town. I flipped the switch and watched the light illuminate the dark air. I stuffed the flashlight within my jacket pocket and climbed back over the railing.
Colt stood in the center of the room, still grinning like a maniac. The others were not with him, seeming he wanted me all to himself. We stared at each other for a few minutes, just like back on the highway. Only this time no fear was in my eyes. And this puzzled him. I watched his eyes almost pop out of his skull as I drew the flashlight slowly out of my jacket. And without a moment to spare, he charged at me. I tried to turn the flashlight on, but the speed and blow of Colt was too much and he hurled us both over the railing, sending us flying into the air and falling thousands of feet towards the ground.
We fought over the flashlight, struggling the speed of the fall as we held on to each other. His eyes were towards me and the town, mine towards him and the sky. Our punches and kicks proved useless as we found the trip up the mountain had tired us both. And with the last bit of strength, I ripped the flashlight from his grip and shoved the top towards his face.
"LIGHTS OUT!"
I flipped the switch and watched Colt incinerate before my eyes. Sparks flew off of him and the silhouette grew to become pure white. It proved too much for my eyes as I shielded them and watched the glow explode and then fade away into the air. I won.
As I felt the air rush by my face, I felt my eyes shut slowly. The world became silent as my body fell hundreds of feet towards the ground. All I remember is seeing the moon grow farther away and the light below me grow brighter. The world went black.