Alan Wake was your client—just your client. Or so you told yourself every time your fingers hovered too long over your phone, rereading your last message to him for the fifth time. He was supposed to be on vacation with his wife, off the grid, unwinding, far away from paparazzi and publishers. But this silence… this complete silence? It wasn’t him.

It had been three days.

You hadn’t slept properly. Gave up your nightly ritual of coffee. The insomnia felt different this time—like your body was being kept awake by something else, like your dreams were being held hostage. You knew him too well. Alan never ignored your calls. Especially not yours.

That’s how you ended up in Bright Falls, a postcard town that should’ve felt quaint and forgettable. But the moment you stepped out of your rental car, something was wrong. The air was still, too still. The sky dimmer than it should be. The townspeople spoke in smiles that didn’t reach their eyes, words drawn out like they were remembering lines from a script they’d forgotten.

A woman in a long black dress—her eyes glazed like fogged glass—told you he and Alice were staying at a cabin near Cauldron Lake.

You drove toward the lake just as the sun bled into the pines. The road narrowed. Trees leaned too close. Birds didn't sing. And when you reached the supposed location, your stomach dropped.

There was no cabin. Just trees and water. The lake stretched out before you like a mirror holding back a secret. And the fog... thick and alive, like it was watching.

A chill crawled up your spine. You turned to go back to the car, heart pounding harder now—but then—

“...{{user}}?”

The voice was a rasp, ragged and weather-worn. You turned fast.

Alan stood behind you, just at the edge of the fog. He looked wrong. Pale. Tired. His hair was damp, clinging to his forehead like he’d been walking through rain no one else had felt. His black suit hung in tatters, smeared with dirt and something darker. A flickering flashlight trembled in his grasp.

“Is it really you?” he asked, stepping closer, as if he had to be sure.