Welcome to Bright Falls-a seemingly idyllic small town in the Pacific Northwest. The perfect place for Alan Wake, a bestselling crime novelist, and his wife, Alice, to relax for a few weeks. Maybe a second honeymoon and the fresh air will cure Wake of his writer's block. But when Alice goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Wake's desperate search for her leads him into a hell only he could imagine. In the depths of nearby Cauldron Lake, a dark and malevolent presence has awakened from a long slumber. It's reaching out now, turning the townsfolk into mindless killers. Sheathed in shadows, vulnerable only to light, they are Taken. Wake's journey will lead him to the very edge of madness, and deep within the dark woods, he will come face-to-face with a story he has no recollection of ever writing. "Fantastic and dark atmosphere, great environments, and engaging story elements." - Gamezone on video game." Rick Burroughs is the author of the novel Alan Wake. The book was published in 2010. Alan Wake By Rick Burroughs Tom Doherty Associates Copyright © 2010 Microsoft Corporation All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-7653-2843-4 CHAPTER 1 Alan?" Wake heard Alice calling to him through his nightmare. He slowly floated up toward the sound of her voice, still drowsy. "Alan, wake up. Come see where we are. It's so beautiful." Wake opened his eyes, squinting in the sunlight. Through the car's open window, he saw Alice beckoning from the nearby railing of the ferry. She wore tight jeans and black boots, her light-brown hair billowing over the upturned collar of her black leather jacket. Whatever she was looking at, it wasn't nearly as beautiful as what he was seeing. She waved again and he got out of the car and walked across the deck toward her, feeling the low engine vibration through the soles of his feet. "I didn't want you to miss this," said Alice, pointing. It took an effort to tear his eyes from her, but he followed her direction, saw an immense forest stretching out on each side of the water, the biggest trees that he had ever seen, so tall and thick he couldn't see the forest floor. "Old-growth timber," said Alice. "Hundreds of years old, never been cut. Not much of that left anymore." "Forest primeval, I get it," said Wake. "Welcome to sasquatch country." He looked down at the dark-green water churning around the ferry. He buttoned up his gray tweed coat. Even with the hoodie underneath, he was shivering. The sun seemed to seek Alice out, but he was always cold. Wake's face was long and angular, with a cleft in his chin and a three-day stubble like a rock star on a bender. His eyes were blue, very alert, volatile even. He told Alice once that if he had a tattoo it would read: Born Pissed Off. She told him he needn't bother. One look at him and people figured that out fast enough. A fallen tree drifted up ahead, a gnarly elm bobbing gently along on the currents. Its thick trunk and broad leaves made it seem out of place among all the tall timber, and Wake, ever curious, wondered how it ended up here, what had torn it out by the roots. A huge raven perched atop one limb, fluttering its glossy black wings as it pecked at something, peck, peck, peck. Wake leaned forward, straining to see what the raven was so interested in. The raven cocked its head, as though aware of Wake's gaze, then bent down, pulling up something white and stringy in its beak. "We should be arriving in Bright Falls in about twenty minutes," said Alice, basking in the light. The raven's greedy cawing echoed across the water as the elm drifted closer, and Wake finally saw what the raven was working at, a child's tennis shoe caught in the branches, the bird tugging at the laces. Alice turned as the raven flapped off. "Wow, that's one gigantic crow." "Yeah," Wake said softly. "Honey, are you okay? You look so ... pale." "Just my imagination messing with me. As usual." Wake ran a hand through his dark hair. She worried about him, worried about his moods, and especially about his temper. He gave her reason to. In the distance he could make out the outlines of a small town nestled in the bay. Had to be Bright Falls. Alice took her camera from her purse. "Why don't you stand next to that old guy beside the pickup? I'll take a picture of you with the woods in the background." "You know I hate having my picture taken," said Wake. "Suffering is good for the soul," Alice said playfully. "Don't you want to get to heaven?" "Not unless you're there with me," teased Wake. "Well, I'm staying here," said Alice. "You're the one who's going over there so I can snap a picture." Wake walked over to the older man. The bed of the blue pickup had a fresh deer carcass in it. Cute. He looked at the older man. "Hi." "You picked a good time to come to Bright Falls," confided the older man, a short, balding fellow, his watery blue eyes crinkling behind round glasses. "Really?" said Wake. Alice waved at him to move closer to the man. "Yup, a very