Alan Wake: The Light Chronicles-Moonlight

Written by: Nick M.

Prologue

James was a very experienced hiker. At the age of 14, he and his Scouting crew were a local legend for being able to hike with amazing endurance. When they heard about Mirror Peak, shadowing the quiet town of Bright Falls, he just couldn't help himself. His Scouting Troop decided on a week-long hike exploring the heavily forested area around the Cauldron Lake. He was so excited.

Growing up in New York City made it hard to find any wild life. But that didn't stop James Morris. At the age of 9 he had explored every single nook and cranny of Central Park, but he wanted more. His mother died when he was 10, and his father, not wanting to be in a place full of memories, moved to the quiet town of Berkshire. He quickly adapted to life there, and persuaded his father to join Boy Scouts with him. He became extremely capable in wilderness survival, and soon was on his way to climb the huge mountain that was Mirrors Peak.

Chapter 1

The huge American Jet stream 747 was rumbling over the giant expanse of forest that carpeted Washington. James was sitting comfortably, his dad fast asleep in the seat across the aisle. He looked so peaceful, more than he had the last few days. Mr. Jonathon Morris had extreme anxiety ever since The Night.

"Hey James, did you see that?" his annoying, yet loyal friend Ronnie jolted James out of his thoughts.

"What is it now?" he replied, somewhat annoyed, as this was Ronnie's first flight, and he thought everything was amazing.

"We just flew through the biggest cloud I have ever seen!" The amazed 14 year old said.

"Whatever," James groaned," Look it is getting late. Why don't we call it a day?"

"Sure," Ronnie said, already yawning, and within the minute, was fast asleep.

James laughed quietly at his easy going friend. He returned his attention to the book in his lap. It was Sudden Stop, a crime thriller written by the famous Alan Wake. James had first come upon the series by accident, and had read them very eagerly. Although he had read this one a year ago when it first came out, he couldn't have enough of Alan Wake's style. But he was no eccentric fan. Just a lover of good books.

He stroked the worn spine of the novel, before closing it and placing it in his carry on. He checked his watch. Almost 11:30. They still had another 6 hours of flight before they hit Seattle. From there they would take the taxi to Bright Falls. He glanced over at the other scouts on this trip. There were 14 in all, plus 5 adults. Two of his closest friends, Jack and Andy, were also asleep, being too far away to plan for what they were going to do.

He set the digital alarm to ring at 5:15, if the pilot didn't wake him up first. He turned off the reading lamp above his head, and shut the blinds. Excitement bubbled up in his insides. Quietly he began to repeat a soft speech he had learned when his mom had been alive.

"For he did not know. That beyond the lake he called home. Lies a deeper ocean green. Where waves are both wilder and serene. To its ports I've been. To its ports I've been."

With the last word said, like most times, James fell into a deep sleep. But unlike most nights, this sleep harbored one to the worst nightmares ever.

The dream started like the others. He was living back in his apartment in New York City, living happily with his mother and father. They were so happy together. James was sitting in the living room, watching the T.V.

"Honey!" he heard his mom yell, although it was muffled. "Time to eat!"

"Coming mom!" James yelled. He dashed into the kitchen. But that was where the normal dreams ended and the new nightmare began. Standing in the kitchen was a lady clothed in mourning garb. A black veil hid her face, yet James felt as though he was being stared at with cold, dark eyes. He instantly had the feeling that she was far from being nice.

"Come," she spoke in old, weary voice that hinted a darkness beneath.

"Why should I?" James said, letting the rebellious side show.

"You dare defy me?" The Black Lady spoke, which switched from whisper to growl. A dark shadow filled the kitchen, quickly making the kitchen turn into a suffocating prison of pure darkness. James, not normally fazed by the dark, bent over, feeling an increasing pressure on his body. Just as he was about to black out, the darkness faded as quickly as it came.

James looked around, confused as he was in the middle of a dark tunnel. On both sides he saw a faint glimmer of light. "What the…" James whispered, looking around at the pointless dream he was in. In the distance he saw two blurs. They must be people, James thought. He had found that he could easily interact in his dreams than most people. "Hey!" James yelled, his voice echoing throughout the tunnel. He saw them shift toward him. "Hey!" he yelled again, "Can you help me? Where am…" He cut off as the sudden appearance of lights made it look like a headlights before they snuffed out as the speeding car smashed into the two people.

James looked in horror as the driver got out. James blinked, thinking he saw the bodies disappear. He was just imagining, he thought. They couldn't have disappeared. However the following scene made him scream inside. He heard the driver yell about where the bodies were. But then the unexpected happened. Even when they were far away, James could see everything. The two people stepping out of a swirl of what looked like smoke. The two that were supposed to be dead. He saw one bring up the axe, the red stain glistening in the far light showing it had been used before. The object smashed down on the unsuspecting drivers head. The body crumpled to the ground. The other person brought a shovel onto the drivers unconscious body. He was dead before the shovel lifted.

That broke James' trance. He began to backpedal, turning around and screamed as he dashed down the tunnel. He looked back and saw the two figures turn to him. Even though he was far ahead, he heard them scream in demonic voices.

"What do we have here? A peeping tom!"

"State Laws exclaim that unless involved, bystanders may not examine punishment!"

James screamed even louder as they sprinted at inhuman speeds towards him, lifting their weapons as though they were mere sticks. He tripped over a loose rock smashing into the asphalt. He felt pain on his elbow and knee. In a stupefied trance, he touched the wound and found his hand bloody. He turned around in time to see a hatchet thrown at him. He dove to the side, the steel head sending sparks into the air. The figures were nearly on him, both weapons raised. "No!" He screamed as the axe began its downward descent. He waited for the killing blow to be struck.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, an extremely bright light exploded above James. He managed to glimpse his assailants. They looked like normal humans; well, as much as psychopaths were normal. They seemed to have a shadowy outline, which began to burn away as the light grew stronger. They both flew back, their shadowy shield destroyed, to explode against the wall. James, bewildered began to back away to the tunnels end, which was extremely close to him.

"Don't worry. I am not going to harm you." The shining ball of light spoke in a comforting voice. "These creatures are pure darkness, and are extremely dangerous."

"And you are telling me this why?" James questioned.

"To arm you for what is about to come. Remember that in the darkest of places there is always a light."

James began to wonder what the heck was happening. By this time they were at the end of the tunnel. Looking beyond the lights range, James saw one of the shadow people.

"They are called the Taken, and are possessed by an evil presence. I believe you met it earlier."

James suddenly remembered the Black Lady and how she brought him here. "So that Black Lady was it?"

"Not the lady but what is controlling the face!" The light said forcefully. "I do not have much strength left. Here, take the light."

In a stereotypical way, a flash light was brought down from the sky to rest on a nearby rock. James walked over, noticing the light was fading. He picked up the torch, the cold metal cooling his hand. He clicked the button, pleased with the high powered beam that shot from the tip.

"OK. Quickly point the torch at the Taken. Since they are possessed the Dark Presence, they cannot be killed without the shadow shield destroyed. Any light will do but I am running out of time!" James quickly blasted the light at the shadowy puppet. It screamed in agony before dashing towards the source of light, James. The 14 year old boy began to feel weak, putting all his energy into squeezing the button of the flash light. He could see the Taken having the shadows torn off the killer's body. It roared, just about to tackle James and end his life when a pop sounded and the Taken was thrown back. It smashed against a tree, dazed.

"Quickly now." The Light said urgently. "The shadows may be off of it, but it is still the enemy! It cannot be saved. You must kill it."

As the light spoke, a hand gun appeared on the rock where the flashlight was. He picked it up, its heavy frame pressing into his palm. It was a heavy caliber revolver, used by hunters to take down bears.

"I can't kill it," James protested.

"You must," the light said, which was fading. "Before it kills you."

Taking this last comment into effect, James raised the handgun and fired. The high caliber bullet slammed into the thing's chest. The stopping power halted the charge as the creature did a flip. It smacked into the ground and disappeared in seconds. He stared, amazed at the area where the body had been. This is the weirdest dream ever, James thought.

"Good," the Light exclaimed. "I must leave now, for the darkness is too powerful."

"Wait!" James yelled. "Don't go!"

"Just listen. For he did not know. That beyond the lake he called home. Lies a deeper ocean green. Where waves are both wilder and serene. To its ports I've been. To its ports I've been. Do you understand?"

"No… Wait? How do you know that? I thought my mom made that…"

"Remember that in the darkness there is light."

And with that the Light presence that had protected James left in a burst of light. James had never felt so alone since the Night. He shined the flashlight's beam around the abandoned street. He noticed something as the light passed over a rock. He quickly brought back and saw a florescent yellow symbol of a torch. He walked over to it and lightly touched it with his battered fingers. Is it paint? James thought. He got a little closer when he stubbed his toe on a hard object. He looked down at a small box, about the size of a shoe box. He lifted the metal lid and saw what was inside. He grasped a long cylindrical object. He showed the light on it. Flares. These might be useful, James thought. He reached down and pulled out a couple of batteries and a few rounds for the handgun. Someone had been looking out for him. He walked back onto the main street and began to walk towards the bay.

For some reason he knew safety and shelter would await him there. He began jogging, his sneakers thumping against the dark asphalt. He climbed over a ridge and saw what he wanted. Just below the hill was a power plant, it's bright, electrical lights shining below. James began to head there when something happened. He had watched Spider Man when he was younger and knew about Spider Sense but this defied even that. It was like a sixth sense or instinct made him duck and roll to the side. It saved his life too. A hammer slammed into the ground where James had been a second before. He whirled around to see a Taken, grinning maliciously. "Always wear a hard hat when on site," it cackled, lifting the hammer for another blow.

James, scared beyond his mind, shoved the torch in front of him and squeezed the button. The flashlight's light seemed to intensify, sending the screaming Taken to its knees. James didn't let go until he heard the pop, then he leveled the pistol at the recovering puppet. Before he pulled the trigger, however, his sixth sense kicked into gear, making him somersault to the side as a hatchet came flying into the injured Taken's chest. It disappeared. James turned around, expecting another axe to come flying for a head. What he saw was worse.

At least five evil people were all crowded together. They began to sprint at James. Outnumbered, with less than three shots left, James did the sensible thing. He ran for the light. He sprinted, hearing the evil laughter of the possessed minds out to kill them. He rummaged around his belt, and fumbled with the flare. He was so scared he dropped it. It flew to the ground. James fumbled with another, this time making it light. He turned around of the assailants, watching as the backed away from it. He was within sight of the power house now. He turned to look at his attackers, and dropped the flare.

A huge tornado of pure darkness was raging towards him, sending globs of what looked like oil in every direction.

"You think we will quit?" A demonic voice roared.

James turned tail and ran. Just to his left a massive beam slid into the ground like a hot knife through butter. He jumped though the security gate and headed towards the door. The massive oak doors that sheltered the light were pushed open the boy as he clambered inside. He looked out the window to see the tornado coming closer. He jumped back expecting to be killed when an incredible thing happened. A wall of light struck the tornado, disinigrating it on contact. The darkness was defeated for now. James slumped down on the chair, grateful for the shelter.

Suddenly the lights shot out, and darkness shrouded the room. James was aware of something in here with him. Something dark. Something evil. Something with an axe. Said axe began its downward arch as James let out a scream.