the-hidden-writer

[the-hidden-writer]

Hii! Just wanted to say I’m reading your “A piece of true fiction” on ao3 rn I’m obsessed thank you that is all 🫶🏻

I'm glad you like it! 😊

While it's been on a bit of a hiatus for a while, I do promise the end is coming! The next chapter has been sitting 80% written in my drafts for months and once my exams are over I definitely plan on finishing the fic.

[the-hidden-writer]

Hide and Seek

Whumptober 2024 - Day 1

Guess what I decided to take part in! I'll do my best to complete the month but I'm going to have to write as I go since I only actually remembered it was a thing today. Starting off with an original piece based on my dnd campaign!

Prompt: Search Party / Panic Attack Fandom: Original (dnd campaign) Character(s): Rex Winterfall Words: 1,251 CW: panic attack, implied suicide idealisation, implied death AO3 Link: [Here!]

Hide and Seek

He can’t breathe.

He’s on the ground, wearing a fucking bearskin like a suit, and he can’t breathe.

Attempting to make as little movement as possible, he shifts his posture so that his head pokes out from underneath the skinned animal to allow him to take a shaky lungful of air. He makes a silent prayer that none of the guards (three of them, to his knowledge) noticed the wriggling of the large rug. It didn’t sound like there was anyone else in this room anyway. For now, at least.

A distant, muffled shout reaches his ears. “This room’s clear!”

Then another. “Kitchen is too!”

A third. “He must have moved. Have we checked the master bedroom again?”

“On it!” calls out a very non-distant voice, whose cry is soon followed by steady footsteps. A nearby floorboard creaks dangerously, a sound that feels as if it's reverberating straight through him, too. The guard has entered the room. A fourth. Shit. He must have miscounted.

Despite having just wrestled with a dead bear for air, he takes in one big breath before clenching his windpipe tightly shut and pulling his head further under the fur. As long as he doesn’t move a muscle, he should be fine. Hiding happens to be one of the greatest skills he possesses. He’s had a lifetime of experience. 

He can hear the guard searching the room. The squeak of the wardrobe, the rustle of bedsheets, the clicking of footsteps getting louder-

Oh no.

He squeezes his eyes shut and bites onto his tongue, suppressing a scream when he feels the pressure on his back. A heavy pressure that, thankfully, only lasts a few moments before the guard appears to move on. He feels the tense air leave his lungs like a deflating balloon. That was… painful. But he’s dealt with worse and it seems like they still haven’t discovered him.

“Sorry, Mr Bear,” he hears, and has to suppress a snort.

That’s when the stupidity of the situation hits him. He’s lying on his front under, practically in, a giant bearskin rug in the master bedroom of a stranger’s mansion, being pursued for a crime he didn’t commit. 

Well. A crime he was about to commit as a consequence of having to flee his home because of a crime he didn��t commit. He knows it isn’t his fault, not really. He’s just the victim of a hell of a lot of unfortunate circumstances. So he really doesn’t understand the guilt that he feels bubbling to the surface.

He took this job because he and his family had been displaced. They needed some income and jobs don’t come easily to fugitives. So when he caught wind of a search for someone stealthy for a theft with a hefty reward, he decided to offer his services, being good at hiding and all. What he would give to turn back the clock on that decision now that he knows it was a set-up.

It was a set-up. And he, the former detective, fell for it.

His chest feels tight. Maybe the guard’s foot broke something.

He can’t think of a more laughable position to be in. It’s so pathetic. What kind of example is he setting for his daughter? How could he ever begin to explain to her that her father is both simultaneously guilty and not-guilty, and has spent nearly his whole life on the run, simply because of bad luck? He doesn’t want to imagine the look on her face but the image springs forth anyway. He wants to physically shake it away, but can’t risk the movement.

The bearskin begins to feel very constricting, as if it hadn’t been before. The fur feels rough and prickly against his own clammy skin. It doesn’t tickle, though he does start to feel aware of every strand that brushes against him, like individual needles. It starts to feel painful to be under it. To be in it.

He’s suddenly hyper-aware that he’s lying in a corpse.

Every coherent thought flies out of his brain. He’s hiding in a corpse.

A corpse of an innocent creature.

A corpse.

A corpse. Like his sister. Like their friends. Like his workers, so many workers, all taken out just to get to him. Corpses. Dead.

He can’t breathe, no matter how hard he tries. He’s actively trying, now, to breathe. It doesn’t feel like it’s working. He might be making noise. It’s hard to tell over the sound of his heart thundering in his chest, over the blood rushing in his ears.

He doesn’t care anymore. If he stays like this, he’ll die. He’s sure of it.

He wrestles himself out of the bear, this time with no qualm about the amount of movement or noise it almost definitely makes. He just needs to get out.

He’s left there, panting in the middle of the room, his eyes wide and senses going crazy. He’s alone in here. That’s one blessing at least.

He stares down at the bear as he struggles to reclaim himself. When alive, the beast must have been massive. He can envision it: a predator that was top of the food chain, a master of the natural world, hunted down and reduced to a rug. A decoration for people to step all over. A corpse.

The surge of empathy he feels is alien and concerning.

This whole situation is absurd, he realises once sense starts to return to him. Yes, he’s good at hiding, but he’s never wanted to. It's never been by choice. He’s just been forced to hide by those various unfortunate circumstances. Those circumstances that have never really been his fault. This feels like another one.

What might happen if he doesn’t hide, this time? If he walks out of here with his head held high? Would that be the right thing to do? Would it make his daughter proud?

As the panic of escaping the bear subsides, so does his energy and any adrenaline he’d had. He’s tired. Twenty years he’s spent like this, hiding from something or other. Twenty years too long. He’s so, so tired.

With one last soulful look at the bear by his feet, he drags himself out of the bedroom.

The four guards in the hallway feel like they should be a surprise, but they aren’t. There isn’t really any strength left in him to feel surprised.

“He’s there!”

“Now!”

“Wait- is everyone ready?”

They’re young. They look practically like teenagers. He tuts quietly. If he was their boss, he would never send them out on a dangerous recapture mission at such a young age. That same image of his daughter comes back to mind. It's then that he knows that there's no chance he'll lay a finger against them.

They’re also standing in a line, the guards. The hallway isn’t particularly wide. Nowhere to run if he tried, not counting the enclosed bedroom. The one with the bear he’d just shared a private moment with. There’s already one too many corpses in that room, he thinks glumly.

Then it hits him. He’s not sure if it’s because of the thought of the bear corpse or the sight of gleaming axes in the guards’ hands, but he feels his heart stop all the same.

He’s cornered.

He’s going to die.

“Please.” It’s barely a whisper.

The guards seem to have gathered themselves, each with their axe raised and poised to throw.

“Now?”

“Now!”

He distantly hopes that no-one ever wears his skin.

Thanks for reading!

[the-hidden-writer]

The wait is finally over! The Oceanview Guestbook is now available as a free digital download. Featuring the fanworks of over 40 contributors, enjoy your favorite Remedy characters in all new scenes and stories. 

Download the free PDF here. 

We hope you enjoy the zine! We would like to thank all of our contributors for their hard work. None of this could have been possible without your time and effort. This has been such an enjoyable journey. Thank you again! 

[the-hidden-writer]

Here's a sneaky little preview of my piece for the @fbczine! The Oceanview Guestbook comes out on the 23rd September and is digital and free! Don't miss out on all the cool stuff!

[the-hidden-writer]

You’re listening to… America Overnight, sponsored by the FBC Zine’s Oceanview Guestbook! This week we have another mysterious yet marvelous story brought to you by one of the zine’s contributors! 

Join us as @alittlesliceofcucumber shares their story of a cross-country train ride which had an uninvited stowaway. Thanks again to this episode’s sponsor provided by @sp8ce-queen!  This audio story is also available with subtitles on youtube.

Next week will be our last episode, but don’t worry! More stories of frights and scares can be found in the Oceanview Guestbook coming this fall. Don’t miss out! Be sure to follow our socials to stay up to date! 

For more information, check out the zine's socials: 📌 https://fbczine.carrd.co 📌 https://twitter.com/FBCZine

[the-hidden-writer]

Sorry about the delay for the next chapter! I'm just super busy 😭

[the-hidden-writer]

A Piece of True Fiction: Chapter 19

An Alan Wake 2 fic. Spoilers for Alan Wake 2!

Summary: Aleksi Kesä manages to slip out of the spiral and film he was trapped in.

Saga Anderson, caught in the middle of Wake's horror story, finds a man that looks identical to her partner in the middle of the woods. He's lost, confused, and only seems to speak Finnish. Saga has to try and uncover the truth as well as trying to save her family. Where did he come from? How did he get here?

And where's her Casey?

Chapter Summary: Saga runs into a familiar voice. Words: 2,832 AO3 Link: [Here!] [First part] [Previous part]

A Piece of True Fiction

Chapter 19: Backstage

Old-fashioned beige wallpaper, numerous yellow lamps and mahogany doors, a worn red carpet- a hallway stretches out in front of her. It isn't inviting. In fact, it feels bathed in an unwelcoming blanket of darkness and dread, but Saga steps out into it nonetheless.

She takes a careful glance behind her and is met with a blank wall. The door she stepped through is gone. The spike of panic she feels quickly settles when she realizes that she can still feel her Mind Place’s presence within her as normal, neatly tucked away in a pocket of her psyche. It’s there, but she’d rather stay out of it for a while to not risk getting stuck again.

Saga takes note of all the large numbers on each door and the individual locks of each room. It reminds her of some sort of vintage hotel. This isn't at all what she was expecting from the Dark Place. If anything, she’d been expecting the streets of New York like Wake had described.

She is certain that she's in the Dark Place though. There’s something about the air here. It feels thick and polluted, with a musty quality to it that doesn’t feel as though it’s entirely due to the hotel environment. None of the air she draws into her lungs feels as though it’s actually providing her with any oxygen, making the very act of breathing superficial. It's the only thing that gives any indication that she could be in or under a lake.

The large humanoid shadow figures lingering in the space are also definitely abnormal.

Saga takes slow, cautious steps down the hallway, keeping both her eyes and ears on the lookout for anything that could help her escape while taking care to avoid the shadows. She's met with silence until she catches the muffled sound of a floorboard creaking.

A sound that did not align with her own footsteps.

She stops in her tracks and listens out even more intently for something other than the shadows’ incessant whispering. Is there someone else here? 

She calls out into the intimidating stretch of corridor before her. 

“Hello?”

A minute of nothing. Then another small but distinct wooden creak, adding evidence to the idea that someone is definitely there.

And then, suddenly, a chain of footsteps scurrying in the opposite direction.

“Hey- wait!”

Saga chases after the source of the sound, sprinting as fast as she can while also taking care to weave between the standing shadows. They try to grab at her as she passes, their hands like shadowy hooks trying to reel her in, but she uses the reserves of her energy to avoid them. She turns a corner just in time to catch a glimpse of a tall figure ducking into a stairwell and rushing upwards.

“Stop!” Saga tries to command, with no luck.

She follows the figure’s trail into the stairwell and up a spiraling staircase until she reaches the level she’s pretty certain the mystery individual fled to. She chases the sound of footsteps and the flashes of someone in front of her to another long corridor filled with rooms, turns another corner, and sees a door slam shut. Believing she has the person cornered, Saga jogs to reach the door and knocks loudly.

“Hello?” She calls, out of breath. “Sorry if I scared you, I just want to talk.”

Saga waits patiently by the door for a reply. There is none. Minutes pass and it's as if the room is empty. But Saga persists and after an approximation of an entire six minutes, she knocks and tries again.

“Please, I need to get out of here. If you're stuck too, maybe we could help each other?”

Almost another minute of silence, and then:

“Well we could have, except someone had to go and fuck up the ritual!”

And oh, Saga knows that voice.

As if he’d read her mind, the fake Wake speaks up again.

“Hey there, agent. We really need to stop meeting like this.”

In a burst of rage, Saga tries the handle. When it’s locked, she indignantly raps on the door harder.

“It's you!”

“It's me!”

“Let me in!”

“Eh, I’ll pass.”

“Open this door by order of the FBI!”

“You got a warrant?” The voice drawls smugly. “Didn’t think so. Yeah, I’m not sure anyone has jurisdiction here. Sorry.”

On one hand, Saga really wants to go in and confront the man face to face for misleading her. On the other, she realizes that she doesn't actually know who or what he could be. He might have lied about everything, even about being trapped here. For all she knows, he might even be some sort of agent of the Dark Place trying to use reverse psychology to lure her into his domain.

She decides to cut her losses and stay outside the room. There’s no point taking unnecessary risks when this isn't her main objective.

“You lied to me!”

The stranger’s calm, suave mask cracks and begins to reveal thinly veiled frustration.

“Did I? Guess we'll never know since you didn't complete the ritual!”

There's a sudden, sharp bang on the door from the other side, startling Saga and making her stagger back from the looming door.

She recognizes that level of aggression. It’s exactly what had been happening with the door in her Mind Place in Coffee World. The source of that headache that had prevented her from being of any real use during the attempt.

And it was his fault, not hers.

“And whose fault is that?” Saga says, anger seeping into her own voice.

“Oh yeah? Well, if someone didn't bring in the fucking FB-whatever then things would have gone more smoothly! Or just lending a hand up would have been nice!”

She hears a sigh from the other side.

“It was a long shot anyway. Tried going with the flow except the flow really fucking hates me.”

Saga has no idea how to respond to that so she decides to return to her main objective. “Is Casey in there?”

The stranger laughs. “Oh yeah! He fucked it up too! Man, this whole thing was really doomed from the start. I should have just tried harder to get him back in the first place. But it was something new! Something interesting!”

Saga slams the door with her fist. 

“Answer my question! Where is he?!”

“Okay, okay! Goddamn! Fine. He’s in the hotel basement. I repurposed it when you said you’d try the ritual… that didn't work out. He was acting weird so I came back up here.”

There’s a sense of relief at his words, at finally being given a location. She can find Casey and they can get out of here together. But there’s also apprehension. This might be another well-spun lie, sending her on a pointless goose chase. And what did he mean by ‘acting weird’?

She decides to voice her concern (though not without a hint of accusation). “Acting weird?”

“Hey- it isn’t my fault! If you want to point fingers that badly then aim them at your writer friend. He fucked up my plans too.”

Saga bites her lip to stop herself from blurting out a rebuttal about her and Wake definitely not being friends. 

“Go to the basement and see for yourself. It’s easier than trying to explain. You can take the elevator!” The voice becomes jovial again. 

Elevator? Even though she was distracted with dodging shadows, Saga doesn’t remember passing any elevators on the way to this room. She’s about to say as much , except when she turns to double check she sees elevator doors sliding open almost directly behind her. It sends a chill down her spine.

“Thanks…”

“Don’t mention it. Everything’s fucked, so us smart people gotta look out for each other. Hey, if you do find your way out of here, can you send Aleksi back? I wasn’t lying about the whole balance thing and I miss my shining star actor.”

That raises two questions. One, Saga had been beginning to suspect that this trickster had been the one to switch Casey and Kesä, but wanting him back would imply otherwise. Secondly, what does he mean by ‘actor’? Who is Kesä? She feels like kicking herself over not using Ahti to ask more questions when she had the chance.

“Alright,” she answers, with no intention of following through. “Before I go, I just have one more question.”

“Sure!” She can hear the grin in his voice. “Go for it. You’re fun company like this, we should do this again sometime.”

She brushes aside the comment and focuses on the big question lingering in her mind for this entire conversation.

“You’re not Alan Wake, are you?”

He can’t be. The different voice should have informed her of this from the very start. Her question is a tactical way of trying to get him to reveal his identity without sounding too accusatory.

So it surprises her when she receives a hesitant squeak of an answer. “Pass..?”

“Then who are you?” is her stern follow-up question.

“Oh, many things.” The audible smile returns. “But I wouldn’t want to bore you with all that. For now, let’s just go with an ac-tor.” 

The last word is spoken dramatically, either as an attempt to prove his point or as an exaggeration of the profession.

She should leave it alone, but Saga’s natural curiosity won't let her. “An actor like Kesä?”

“Not exactly, but sure, let’s go with that. Funny thing about this place is that you can use fiction to shape it as you want. It leaves actors in a… peculiar position. If you know what you’re doing, you can use the idea of a role to your advantage. What I forgot was… well. Doesn’t matter now. Be seeing you, mysterious nameless detective.”

He's trying to brush her off. Saga’s mental instincts scream at her that there’s much more to his words, an implication beneath the word ‘advantage’, and that she should spend time trying to pick it all apart. If she was under different circumstances, she may have done just that. Except her partner is possibly somewhere below her at this very moment and she feels like she’s wasted enough time as it is, and the mysterious nameless actor has given her an out. She hesitantly chooses to take it.

Just before she turns to leave however, she administers a warning.

“If this is a trick, I’ll come back and break down this door.”

It's a threat. She won't stand for any more of his bullshit.

“Ha! Good luck trying.”

It's also a threat. The tone is as friendly as ever but now Saga is able to hear the danger in it too. A fox, grinning safely behind the bars of its cage, playing with its prey.

She quenches the flicker of anger that arises from his tone and forces herself away from the door before heading to the elevator. She presses the button indicating the basement and lets out a long sigh as the doors slide shut. She sincerely hopes the trickster didn’t lie this time, otherwise…

Otherwise she’ll have no idea what to do. She’ll be stuck, figuratively and literally.

The ride down to the basement is suspiciously long. She even did the math to distract herself. If she'd started on Level 6 and the basement was Level -1, and the elevator seemed to move at a speed fast enough to make her stomach churn slightly, then the ride should have taken a quarter of the time it did for the doors to slowly slide open again, revealing a forest.

Saga blinks. Blinks again. Checks she’s on the right level. 

She is. She’s reached the basement, and in front of her is what looks to be a forest. 

Over a dozen relatively small bare-branched trees on mossy ground, with various stumps and stones scattered around, all dimly illuminated by a brighter source of light somewhere behind it.

With a soft exhale of awe, Saga steps out of the elevator and onto the mossy forest floor. She briefly pauses to make sure the elevator is still behind her (which it is, thankfully) before continuing forward toward the nearest tree. 

Stunned by the impossible, Saga gently places a hand on the bark. It feels cold, smooth, and- most importantly- artificial. This isn’t a real tree. Neither is the adjacent one. She lowers a knee to the ground and runs a hand against the ‘forest’ floor, and discovers only a thin layer of soil and moss with a hard surface underneath. 

There is a fake forest in a hotel basement. Despite everything that’s happened over the last few days, Saga still manages to find some surprise left inside her.

That’s when she remembers she has a flashlight.

The beam immediately pierces through the darkened forest, revealing that the space it actually takes up is very limited. Aiming the light at the trees reveals black walls further behind, simply providing an illusion of endless trees. Along those black walls are a number of tripod cameras. Far above her and the trees that do not stretch limitlessly, large spotlights loom. Cameras, spotlights… Could this be some sort of set?

And not just any set, she realizes in horror when she runs the light over the ground and spots a familiar well in a small clearing between the trees. A closer inspection reveals it’s identical to the one she’d been thrown into.

Fake Wake said he’d ‘repurposed’ it, and that he was an actor. If this set was supposed to be an abstract replica of the one in Coffee World, does that mean he’d been trying somehow to re-enter reality via his acting? Trying to turn fiction into reality? If that was the case, then surely a director would be a more appropriate label. And who was he playing?

Saga is about to ponder upon the idea when another question settles uncomfortably in her gut.

If Aleksi is also an actor, working with Fake Wake, then who was he playing?

She decides to abandon the entire train of thought. It only leads her back to thinking of Casey and his existence and his relation to the books and whether he was ever real- and she knows he was. He is. She refuses to think on it lest she thinks of something that could change her mind. Casey is Casey and Casey is real. She will leave it at that.

Pulled away from the wonder of the forest set around her, Saga realigns herself to search for Casey. He doesn’t seem to be within the phony forest, and another skim of the area with her flashlight confirms that.

Still, just in case:

“Casey? You in here?”

There’s no response but the silence of the set and a very low buzzing sound somewhere ahead of her. She’s just about to turn on her heel and storm back upstairs to confront the liar when-

A thud. Muffled and distant, but still, a thud.

Saga almost doesn’t dare to hope. After everything, after all of this pain and fear and betrayal, has she finally found him?

“Casey?!” she shouts louder, her heart thundering in anticipation. No verbal response, but more thuds from somewhere beyond her current position, directed more toward that source of bright light ahead. Three thuds with a noticeable pause between them, then three much shorter and sharper, then another three with the pause. S.O.S.. It has to be him.

“I’m on my way!” 

Saga breaks out into a run. She makes a beeline straight through the trees and toward the light, which (once her eyes adjust) she observes to be a small room containing what she assumes to be props. Boxes containing jackets, cloaks, and deer masks, even a costume rail pressed against the right wall. Pressed against the left wall is a cleaning cart, where an overturned bucket has spilled its contents into a large puddle on the floor.

And the room has no back wall, leading into a separate area beyond the light.

Directly ahead of her, not part of the well-lit zone, is another array of tripod cameras all pointed to another set that is entirely cordoned off by glass, like a museum exhibit. This set is far smaller than the relatively immense forest and has only three walls, as well as an artificial sloped ceiling. The walls and floor look entirely composed of wooden planks. The only furniture inside is a desk in front of two large, circular windows and a chair, placed in the center of the ‘room’. The only props are a typewriter and a lamp placed upon the desk. But to Saga, the details of the set are inconsequential in comparison to the man standing with his hands pressed against the other side of the glass and an expression on his face that betrays nothing but hope.

Saga stomach flips. She darts forward and involuntarily lets out a small sound of relief.

“Casey!”

Inspired by the Yötön Yö BTS pics. Thanks for reading! Only a couple of chapters left to go.

[the-hidden-writer]

Sorry for the delay! Next chapter of A Piece of True Fiction coming out tomorrow!

[the-hidden-writer]

A Piece of True Fiction: Chapter 18

An Alan Wake 2 fic. Spoilers for Alan Wake 2!

Summary: Aleksi Kesä manages to slip out of the spiral and film he was trapped in.

Saga Anderson, caught in the middle of Wake's horror story, finds a man that looks identical to her partner in the middle of the woods. He's lost, confused, and only seems to speak Finnish. Saga has to try and uncover the truth as well as trying to save her family. Where did he come from? How did he get here?

And where's her Casey?

Chapter Summary: Saga wakes up in the Mind Place. Words: 1,759 AO3 Link: [Here!] [First part] [Previous part] [Next Part]

A Piece of True Fiction

Chapter 18: Lost

Saga blinks awake, shaking off the remnants of a terrible dream. Like any other dream, the specific events elude her.

She looks around. She spots the familiar furniture, architecture, case board, mounted deer head. She's in their field office in Bright Falls, Washington.

Except… no, the field office was destroyed. Unless the lodge staff have already managed to scrub all the blood off the ceiling, this must be her Mind Place.

The deduction sends a rapid chill down Saga’s spine, but she isn't sure why until she takes notice of the silence. No shaking. No knocking. She finds herself glaring at the locked door, silently daring it to do something, though she still isn’t sure why. 

Silence.

Once she's satisfied that the door isn't displaying any strange behavior, she turns her attention to the rest of the room. Her thoughts are still foggy but her memories are coming back to her bit by bit. Like percolating coffee, drip by drip. She looks to her case board-

It’s… it's blank. There's nothing there. 

But she had a case. Where did it go? She hurries to the filing cabinet, maybe she just put everything away and forgot about it. It's empty. Saga violently pulls open every single drawer. All empty.

Something is very wrong. She walks over to the door (the other door, the right door) so that she can leave and reorient herself. She tries the handle and feels her breath hitch.

It's locked. Why is it locked?

She tries again, harder. The door doesn't budge. She can't leave. Saga starts to panic. Her eyes scan the room for her case files, profiles, evidence photos, anything… nothing. All missing.

What?

And then the last drop falls into the pot, the last jigsaw piece clicks into place, the last fragment of a memory returns to her and Saga remembers.

She remembers chasing after Aleksi through the Sheriff's Station. She remembers the tense ride to Watery and the plan to enact the ritual. She remembers Estevez, Young, Ilmo, Wake. Wake’s warning. An arm reaching out of Huotari Well. Scratch. Not-Ilmo. A burst of light followed by a burst of darkness. That same darkness taking Kesä. She remembers pain, being dragged, being lifted, and then falling, falling, falling…

She can't be dead. Surely this can't be death. Except, considering the last thing she recalls is the well, this place could be worse.

Her conclusion leaves her frozen in terror. If she was thrown into the well and is still alive then… 

She's in the Dark Place.

Shit.

This is bad. She can't be here. This is really bad. She needs to find a way to leave as soon as possible. This is where Alan Wake was trapped for a whole thirteen years. If it had been her, she would have missed Logan's entire life. The very idea leaves her horrified, and she has an additional horrifying afterthought: did Alan Wake have children when he fell in?

Saga’s train of thought screeches to a halt.

Logan.

She’s dead.

Is she okay? Has the story gotten to her? Did she get too caught up chasing the wrong lead? How much time has passed?

Too much time. Logan’s dead.

No. No, she can’t be. She can’t be.

Logan is dead.

Maybe there’s still time. She’ll get out of here and get Wake, Tor, Odin, someone to change the story and save Logan. She is not dead.

Logan is dead. Saga had the chance to save her but she got caught up chasing the wrong lead like the terrible detective and partner she pretends not to be. Estevez warned her that she could be murdering an innocent man. Ilmo warned her that he would become someone else. Alan warned her off the idea from the very beginning. But she refused to listen to him, because she always thinks that she knows better. Even Ahti warned her. She ignored them all. All because she values Casey over Logan.

No… that’s not what happened-

It is what happened. She had a choice to save Logan or Casey, and she chose the senior agent who was stuck with her over her own daughter, her own flesh and blood. And now it doesn’t even matter because they’re both dead. She couldn’t save either of them.

That isn’t right. Casey isn’t dead, he’s just stuck in the Dark Place. Where are all these thoughts coming from? They feel like they’re trying to drown her. She won’t let them take her.

Unless he isn’t in the Dark Place. Unless she’s still blindly trusting the individual who blatantly misled her. Unless Casey was Kesä all along and she just built an army to kill him. And now he’s Taken. Now he’s Scratch. Now he’s gone and Logan is dead.

Maybe it’s a good thing Scratch possessed Kesä. Maybe it saved him from dying at the hands of Ilmo. 

She’s the one that handed Ilmo the knife. The blood is on her hands.

Or maybe this fate is much worse. From what little Saga understands about Scratch, he is an extremely malicious force that was masquerading as Wake the entire time. Either that, or Wake simply held Scratch inside of him. It doesn’t matter at this point, now that it has revealed itself and wormed its way into someone else.

She should have seen it. She should have noticed. Scratch was in front of her the entire time. And she still calls herself a detective.

No!

She wishes her brain would just shut up!

Wait.

Saga thrusts a hand into her jean pocket and sighs deeply when her fingers wrap around the shape of the Clicker. She still has it, at least. There may still be a way to fix this.

Then a powerful wave of despair presses down on her. 

The tool to save them all is just as stuck as she is. She’s trapped and the Clicker is too.

It’s useless unless she finds a way out.

It’s useless unless she finds a way out.

She should have listened to the others.

She should have listened to the others.

This is all her fault.

This is all

her

fault.

It’s all her fault.

Logan is dead. Casey is gone. Wake is Scratch. Kesä is Scratch. The Clicker is useless.

Saga is drowning.

…

…

… 

…

…

“Hey Anderson, did I ever tell you about the time I punched my reflection?”

 “No- stop laughing! Okay, I didn't, but I was damn close to it. I was drunk off my ass and was getting pretty tired of the sad bastard in the mirror that refused to look me in the eyes. I would have wrecked my bathroom and my hand if there hadn't been a knock at the door. Yeah, that's right. You brought lasagna.”

 “I hate to get all sappy and shit but my point is: don't underestimate yourself or all those little things you do. I’m sorry to say you’ve got the curse of always managing to do the right thing at the right time. Now I don't believe that our lives are laid out for us or anything like that. Believe me, I’ve thought about it. Those fucking books. But, uh, I’m… thankful, to whatever higher power there may or may not be, that you fell into mine. I think I trust your judgment more than my own and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. You’re a more than capable detective and your daughter should be proud. I’ve told her that.”

“Shit, uh… sorry. Want a Kleenex? I probably should have waited until after our assignment. Fuck. Uh… want me to pour you a coffee? It’s the good stuff so if you won’t have one, I will. Pass the thermos.”

…

Saga blinks awake, shaking off the remnants of a terrible dream, clinging onto the memory of Casey’s voice like a lifeline.

She’s stuck in the Mind Place, stuck in the Dark Place, and there’s a familiar coffee thermos on the desk.

Three years ago, the two of them had been on a stakeout in a parking lot where they were expecting their suspect to return after their first suspect had been a bust. Saga had been blaming herself over the mistake- they’d spent a lot of time and resources chasing after the original suspect- and then Casey blindsided her with that speech in the car. He’d never said anything like that to her before, and it opened up a new side of Casey to her.

And after that, they’d caught the real perpetrator and were lauded for their excellent work.

Saaga looks around her fully-furnished Mind Place, full of mementos that remind her of how things actually are, simultaneously banishing the side of her that tries to convince her otherwise.

Casey trusts her. He believes that she’s a good detective, which she does have the certificates to show for. He treats her as an equal and doesn't judge her for her mistakes.

Logan loves her. She’s proud of her mom and understands why she has to travel for work sometimes. She’s a good mom who works hard for her family, something that David loves her for, too. She would never purposefully let harm come to her family.

Saga always does her best. She trusts her instinct in the moment and even if she doesn’t get things right on the first try, she picks up the pieces and gets there in the end. This is just another hurdle she has to jump over.

Saga remembers that after she’d laughed away her tears, she’d responded to Casey by saying she was happy she managed to save his reflection from a black eye.

It doesn’t matter if Kesä is nothing more than a reflection, or if he’s Casey himself. She’ll just have to find a way to save both of them.

She will do it. She has to. It’s her responsibility as a mother, wife, and FBI agent. She’s stronger than the darkness.

She’s FBI Agent Saga Anderson and she can walk out of this room.

Determined, Saga strides over to the door that takes her out of the Mind Place with the intention of leaving, wherever it might take her. 

Her hand hovers over the handle. She’s struck with an idea.

She takes a few steps back and makes her way to the other door, the one that had caused her pain and prevented her from stopping the ritual. It’s as unassuming as ever. It might lead nowhere. But she trusts herself and trusts her instincts.

Saga opens the door.

Thanks for reading!

[the-hidden-writer]

A Piece of True Fiction: Chapter 17

An Alan Wake 2 fic. Spoilers for Alan Wake 2!

Summary: Aleksi Kesä manages to slip out of the spiral and film he was trapped in.

Saga Anderson, caught in the middle of Wake's horror story, finds a man that looks identical to her partner in the middle of the woods. He's lost, confused, and only seems to speak Finnish. Saga has to try and uncover the truth as well as trying to save her family. Where did he come from? How did he get here?

And where's her Casey?

Chapter Summary: Saga follows instructions. Chapter CW: knives, stabbing Words: 4,202 AO3 Link: [Here!] [First part] [Previous part] [Next part]

A Piece of True Fiction

Chapter 17: The Ritual

With the roads clear at such an early hour combined with Estevez’s strategically-reckless driving, they manage to make it all the way to Watery before Aleksi starts to stir.

When he does, Saga shares a look with Agent Young. They’re still a few minutes away from Coffee World, let alone the time it would take to transport Kesä to the well by foot, meaning that it’s only a matter of time before they’ll need to start dealing with an awake, coherent Kesä.

(The word victim comes to Saga’s mind. She tries to shake it away, but it lingers like a bad taste in the back of her brain.)

Young pulls out a packaged needle and gestures with it toward Kesä. Saga shakes her head. Despite receiving medical training, she’s no nurse and doesn’t know the full ins and outs of administering a second dose of ketamine so close to the first. Not only that, but Ilmo had said that Kesä would need to be alive for the ritual to work. Would being unconscious make a difference? She doesn’t want to take that risk. Their lives may just be more difficult when trying to carve the heart out.

The thought of actually carrying out the ritual makes her consider Aleksi again. His eyes are still shut and his head shifts ever so slightly, as if having a bad dream. The back of the FBC truck has two benches on either side facing each other, military-style. Young had offered to sit with (and hold) Kesä due to Saga’s bad arm. Saga was grateful for and had accepted the offer, but having to sit there staring Kesä’s unconscious body head-on ended up being highly unsettling. Especially since the sight of him sitting up with his head hanging near his chest reminds her too much of that strange film in the nursing home basement. It’s an unwelcome distraction.

When Aleksi had initially slipped under, she’d been struck with the idea of removing some of his clothing to try and make the ritual more efficient. Her conscience had quickly shut that thought down. She’s aware that it’s pretty hypocritical to draw the line at undressing someone without consent while also planning to cut their heart out, but there are some morals that she can’t shake even in the most desperate of situations. 

Stranger still, she feels concerned that she’d even had that thought in the first place, because she’s so strongly against it. It had almost felt foreign, like an excited whisper in her ear. Drug him. Undress him. Steal his heart. Bring me back. 

She doubles down on her stance. She’s not that sort of person. She doesn’t want to do this and is only doing it for Casey’s sake. Ilmo can do what he must and she will only assist where necessary, if necessary. 

Aleksi lets out a whimper in his slumber and Saga momentarily rethinks everything.

Is this really the only way to bring Casey back? The initial panic about running out of time had made her rush into the idea of this ritual without properly discussing options with anyone. She’d normally discuss them with Casey, but…

She tries to imagine what Casey would say in this situation.

Don’t bother, Anderson. I’ll be fine, I’ve gotten out of worse scrapes. You go save that daughter of yours.

Nope. She tries again.

That’s a lot of faith you’re putting in Wake. Personally, I don’t trust that bastard one bit. Just because he spelled things out for you doesn’t mean he’s telling the truth. Are you even sure it was him?

The thought gives Saga pause. The truth is, she doesn’t have any evidence that the man claiming to be Alan Wake was actually Alan Wake. But the way the surface-Alan had described having doppelgängers, and the fact that she’s been seeing a version of him in the Overlaps, not to mention Scratch being still at large… combined it makes stuck-Alan’s explanation more viable. Plus, she’d since seen evidence that he’d been telling the truth, such as Kesä being friends with someone from Bright Falls, someone who she’s almost certain Casey has never met, and the film in the nursing home basement, one that she’s convinced displayed Casey’s predicament in the Dark Place like stuck-Alan’s description. 

But still…

Clutching the bench for stability, she enters her Mind Place. There are so many clues waiting to be put together, so many more avenues she could go down with her deductions, she just doesn’t have the time right now. She ignores it all and heads straight to the locked door. She knocks firmly three times.

“Wake?”

No response. It was wishful thinking, anyways. Even so, she tries to leave a message in the low chance that it could work in that way.

“We’re almost at the well. Everything’s ready. If you’re still with Casey, tell him he’ll be out soon. I’m coming for him.”

She waits a minute in case something changes. Nothing does Saga returns to reality moments before they arrive at the trailer park.

“We’re here,” Estevez announces from out front, and Saga cringes when Aleksi’s breath hitches from the volume of her voice. Everyone had been silent for the entire journey both for fear of agitating Kesä, but also just because the tension of the situation was so palpable that nobody really knew how to fill the silence. Even Ilmo, to Saga’s surprise, hasn’t uttered a single word. She’d been expecting him to have questions, or even to protest more about the situation, but he’s been unusually quiet and complacent. Maybe the tension has gotten to him too.

The engine is switched off and everyone rushes into action. Estevez opens the back, letting Saga and Young out. When Young scoops Kesä into his arms bridal-style, the man mumbles incoherently and shifts his body in a subconscious protest. Though his eyes are still closed, Saga realizes that the minutes they had left have turned to seconds.

She also quickly realizes that Estevez can’t run because of her bad leg. She has a split-second decision to make: have everyone run ahead and leave Estevez behind, or travel slower, sticking together but also risking Aleksi waking up. 

Saga chooses the latter, slipping an arm around Estevez for support. Her reasoning is admittedly a little selfish. Though she’s sure Estevez would be able to hold her own, she doesn’t want the additional burden of a lost life on her shoulders in this Taken-infested forest. Estevez tries to shrug her off at first, then quickly gives in and shoots her a grateful look.

Acting as Estevez’s crutch, Saga leads everyone into the park, all while Kesä becomes more and more restless. Every time she turns her head to check, she sees Young’s increasing struggle to hold him. Kesä twists in discomfort and his mumbling becomes louder and more frequent. Saga focuses on reaching their destination.

And then, with the well just thirty or so feet away, Young lets out a panicked yelp when Aleksi screams.

Saga releases Estevez and turns around to see Kesä, eyes now open, hyperventilating and thrashing against Young’s grip. Young tries his best to keep hold of him, but Aleksi writhes and lashes out with his cuffed hands until one wild, lucky swing catches Young in the nose, making the agent drop him with a loud exclamation. “Fuck!”

Aleksi grunts as he hits the ground and makes no initial move to get up, still clearly disoriented and not fully aware of his surroundings. Saga, on autopilot, leaps forward to pin him down while Young recovers from the blow.

She looks to Ilmo, who’s staring at Huotari Well in the distance. “Can't we just do it here?”

“Not here, it's too far,” Ilmo responds. Then he pulls his eyes away from the well, turns toward Estevez, and holds out his bound wrists. “It’ll be a lot easier if we drag him. Let me help, I've done this before, I know what I’m doing.”

Estevez hesitates, looking to Saga for her opinion. Saga is too busy trying to hold down a distraught Aleksi to provide a proper response.

In the end, Estevez relents and digs in her pockets for the keys. “Alright. Come here.”

Ilmo steps forward and allows Estevez to remove his handcuffs. As she does, he gestures his head toward Kesä. “He’ll be easier to drag if you undo his as well. Didn't you say you had more of your folks here?”

As if on cue, a rustling sound fills the air and Saga spots a figure jogging toward them. She experiences a spike of fear before she recognizes the man as Agent Miller, who approaches them with the two other more injured agents trailing behind.

“Ma’am!”

Saga doesn't miss the visible relief on Estevez’s face as she greets her agents, immediately slipping back into her role as leader.

“Where’s the container?”

“In the warehouse yard,” Miller answers. “It’s just over there, not far from the well.”

“You didn't touch the float, right?”

Ilmo receives a glare from both FBC agents.

“You go prime the power cores,” Estevez instructs her agents, “we’ll bring the entity there. We aren’t entirely sure what it’s capable of.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“You’ll help?” she adds to Ilmo.

Ilmo makes an expression that is close to a smile, but lacks any semblance of humor. His eyes remain cold. “It’s what I’m here for.”

“...I’ll take that as a yes.”

Estevez moves closer to where Saga has resorted to unashamedly sitting on Kesä’s chest. She holds out the handcuff key and seems unable to crouch or squat due to her leg, so instead she awkwardly leans forward until her hands are in reach of Kesä’s. Saga adjusts her own position to make it work.

“We take an arm each,” Ilmo says to Agent Young, whose mouth is streaked with red from the blood flowing from his nose. If Ilmo has any remorse for the initial injury, he displays none of it in this moment. “Drag him backward while he’s weak. Got that?”

Young can’t do much more than nod (causing droplets of blood to fall to the ground).

Once Kesä’s cuffs are undone, he starts to scratch and claw at Saga, his arms flailing around and often missing their target. He’s clearly panicking, but still groggy, not fully aware.

Estevez counts everyone down to coordinate a number of movements. On three, Saga jumps off Aleksi’s torso. The man immediately cries out and rolls onto his front, smothering his white shirt, already sticky from sweat, in dirt. He scrambles onto his knees, similarly caking them in mud, at which point Ilmo and Young rush forward and each hook an arm under one of Kesä’s shoulders. Kesä shouts as they do, the movement too fast for him to fully comprehend.

His eyes are left so wide that they’re almost separate from his skull. Extremely distraught, he limply struggles against the other men’s hold as they start to drag him along the path.

As she and Estevez follow behind, facing Aleksi head-on, Saga is suddenly struck with the thought that this isn’t the first time she’s seen Kesä like this. He’d displayed this amount of panic and distress when she’d first come across him not far from where they are now. She never found out why he’d appeared so scared at first, and seeing what’s prompting that kind of response now, she wonders what the hell could have caused it the first time. Where had he been before arriving here?

She startles when she realizes that Kesä’s eyes are zoned in on her in recognition. He stops mindlessly shouting, quietening to hurried pants as he visibly struggles to draw in air. 

“Saga,” he says, his voice hoarse and cracking as he says her name. Two simple syllables that drip with devastation and hurt. "Sinäkinkö? Oletkin yksi niistä?"

Saga doesn’t know what to say to him. She doesn’t even think there’s anything she can say to him.

"Luotin sinuun," he continues, even as he tries to anchor his bare feet into the soil to stop himself from being dragged. His voice is laced with a thin layer of venom that isn’t able to mask the primal fear underneath. "Luotin sinuun, saatanan petturi! Niiden sadistien kätyri! Päästä irti! Painu helvettiin! Jätä minut rauhaan! Päästä irti!"

Perhaps realizing that she can’t understand him, Kesä ends his Finnish spiel and glowers at her instead. When she still doesn’t respond, he spits in her direction. Saga’s heart sinks. Message received.

Then something unusual happens.

There’s a moment as the group advances closer and closer to the well that something in the air seems to shift. A red hue seeps into their surroundings, blending with the blue-tinted darkness of the night. Too saturated to be natural, too widespread to be artificial. The whispers of the forest around them, and what Saga had thought was just the sound of leaves in the wind, are instantly far more audible and it becomes clear that it is actually an unintelligible whispered chant. Turning her head to glance around the outskirts of the forest, Saga spots a number of cultist Taken, all lingering between trees that she could have sworn weren't there before that fade in and out of view. Stranger still, one second there’s no rain, the next they’re caught in a sudden downpour. Like some higher power thought it was a good time for a shower.

The change in the environment is impossible. An impossibility that Saga is starting to get familiar with, though comprehending it leaves her with a light headache.

Did they unknowingly open an Overlap? It feels like the only explanation. But how?

She finds the answer to her question when she realizes that Ilmo’s knife in her pocket feels heavier than before. She draws it out. It's a different knife. Not too different, still a similar size, just slightly heavier and with a different handle. Maybe bringing the knife to the well had been the key?

Aleksi seems to recognize the change as well. He starts struggling harder against Young and Ilmo as he is dragged past the well and toward the warehouse, his anger replaced with desperation.

He begins shouting again, his bare feet kicking wildly against the ground.

"Ei, ei, ei, armoa! Ei taas! Lopettakaa!"

His hoarse voice becomes wet with tears and his cries morph into desperate high-pitched squeaks. His lower lip wobbles with emotion. Pure terror.

He is dragged through puddles into the yard, where Saga sees that the FBC have set up some sort of large cuboid containment cell surrounded by an array of lights (currently switched off) and glowing orange boxes. Three FBC agents each stand by one of the small light towers.

“Ahti!” Kesä calls into the night, now in tears. "Ahti! Auta minua! Älä jätä minua yksin! Ei taas! En pysty tähän enää..."

The sound of him calling out to his ‘friend’ strikes a chord in Saga. This isn't the actions of someone about to have their selfish plan foiled. This is a bewildered man fearing for his life. She suddenly wants to rethink everything, to make sure they're not about to make a terrible mistake, but her headache prevents her from contemplating too deeply. 

She's drawn out of her attempt when she notices that Ilmo and Young have stopped moving, and that the former is holding a hand out to Saga, palm facing up.

“The knife,” Ilmo requests.

Saga hands it over and tries to resume her train of thought, her free hand reaching up to gently massage her temples. Why does she have to be afflicted with this discomfort now? Is the exhaustion finally catching up to her at the worst opportune moment?

She glances behind her. If she squints, it looks as though a hand is poking out from the well, flickering in and out of reality like many other scenes in an Overlap. Casey’s? Saga resists the urge to rush over and grab it. They aren’t ready yet, everything has to be right. Kesä starts screaming again when they bring him closer to the containment cell. The FBC agents, Estevez included, form a defensive formation a few feet away while Young and Ilmo proceed. Saga watches on in anxiousness, thorns of doubt pricking her heart. 

They’re about to do this. But what if they're wrong? What if she’s wrong? What if Kesä isn't-

A sudden yell pierces through the clamor of rain.

“Stop!”

Everyone freezes. Even Aleksi briefly stops resisting. Saga follows the source of the sound past the well and sees… Wake?

Alan Wake, in that bloodied white tee and jeans, hurrying in their direction from one of the other paths. He looks soaked to the bone.

“Wake?!” Saga calls out in total confusion. How the fuck did he get here?

While he makes his way toward them, Saga spots another figure standing much further behind. She does her best to try and get a good glimpse through the torrent of rain, managing to make out gray hair, overalls, and a deep, deep frown. Is it… Ahti? What the fuck is going on? Unlike Alan, he’s staying far behind and doesn’t attempt to move any closer.

“You have to stop!” Alan shouts directly to Saga while running. “This won’t bring back Casey!”

Saga’s heart starts thudding in her chest. Wake has fear in his eyes, the same fear she’s starting to feel herself. She feels the need to hear him out. 

She holds out a hand, motioning for Ilmo and Young to pause what they’re doing. “Hold on.” Then she turns back to Alan, needing to shout over the rain too. “What do you mean?”

“You’re right, this is a ritual,” Alan explains, out of breath. He winces and rubs his own forehead before continuing. Does he have a headache too? “It was like this in the film, I remember that now, even down to Aleksi… fuck, I forgot his name, but just listen. Doing this won’t bring back Casey, it’ll bring back someone else.”

“What?”

Saga looks over at Huotari Well again, where the hand poking out has extended to a forearm. The whole area is bathed in red and her throbbing head makes it difficult to concentrate, yet she’s certain she’s not imagining it. She has her own doubts, but the ritual seems to have already started…

“Are you sure?” “Yes, I’m sure.” Alan’s voice is strained but tinted with relief at finally being listened to. “You can’t- argh!”

Without warning, Wake falls to his knees. His eyes squeeze shut and he clutches his skull as his teeth grind in what Saga assumes is pain. What’s going on with him? What’s going on in general?

“Saga… the Clicker…” Alan grits out before there is an explosion of darkness emanating from him, muffling an agonized scream. Saga has to shield her eyes, and when she opens them again, she sees that Wake has stood up and wisps of Dark Presence snake and dance around him.

Bloody teeth bared, he dashes closer in the blink of an eye, one hand outstretched.

“T̵̪͘h̶̖̀e̵̦͑ ̶̭͒C̴̖̓l̴̞̍ḯ̷̧c̴͇̈ḱ̶̙e̶̘̔r̷̲̕.̶̰̋”

Shit. 

Shit shit shit shit. That’s not Wake. That has to be-

“It’s Scratch!” Saga fearfully announces to the others. 

The FBC agents all immediately draw their weapons. Saga does the same. 

“What’s the play here, Anderson?” Estevez asks as Scratch stalks closer. “The containment cell is built to withstand the Shadow, so we could try and lure him-”

“Yeah, good idea.” Saga interrupts. She’d try and build a plan herself, but she can barely think with the constant pounding in her skull, so she accepts Estevez’s idea without a second thought. “Deal with Scratch first, then we can-”

“Shit!” “Voi vittu!” 

Saga looks to the cell to find Ilmo and Young on the ground. Utilizing the distraction, Kesä has managed to break free. He crawls away from them, scrambles to his feet, and breaks into a run. Ilmo jolts to his own feet and races after him. Saga and Estevez share a panicked look.

Estevez raises her pistol. “Go. We’ll take care of Scratch.”

Saga nods, grateful, and sprints after Aleksi and Ilmo through the park.

“Ilmo, wait!”

She needs time to think. She needs to be able to think, but the headache is now starting to create spots in her vision. The cacophony of the chanting Taken, thunderous rainfall, and now the deafening sound of gunfire from behind her all combine into an additional sledgehammer to her brain. She groans at the pain. Ahead, Saga watches Aleksi weave around an attraction, dodge Ilmo’s grasp, and scurry back in the direction he came from. She decides to use the opportunity to retreat into the Mind Place, hoping to clear her head before trying to intercept

It’s there she discovers the source of the pain. That tremendous ache, that pounding in her skull, is literal. Something or someone is pounding at the locked door, unrelenting, shaking the very foundations of her Mind Place. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

Saga is shaken out of her own Mind Place and falls to her knees, clutching her skull just like Wake had done. It’s so loud. She can’t think.

She turns her head. Far behind her, it looks like the FBC agents have been successful in shooting Scratch into the cage and are preparing to blast him with light. In front, the arm is still extended out of the well, except terror washes over Saga as it hits her. The arm is too long. The fingers are too lithe. The little wave it gives is too familiar for the wrong reason. 

It’s not Casey.

Wake was right.

Stunned, she isn’t able to block Kesä as he runs past her with Ilmo following suit. 

“Stop…” Saga whispers at Kesä, Ilmo, Scratch, the pounding in her head, at everything.

She hears Ilmo shout at Kesä in Finnish as he catches up.

Aleksi turns to curse at him in response, but it results in him tripping over one of the empty beer bottles left by Jaakko at the base of the well. He falls to the ground, landing hard on his shoulder. Ilmo pounces on him in an instant, holding him down with his free hand while he moves his legs to straddle the man. He still looks intent on performing the ritual as he opens Aleksi’s shirt and raises the knife over his head.

“Ilmo, stop! We’re not doing this anymore!” Saga shrieks, trying to crawl toward. She attempts to stand, but a particularly loud knock at the Mind Place door sends her tumbling back down again. She pleads loud enough that he must hear her and is therefore choosing to ignore her. “Stop!”

Ilmo’s head snaps around and their eyes meet. Ilmo’s eyes are wild, his hair has fallen in front of his eyes, and there’s a craziness in his expression. Saga realizes in horror, too late, that that’s not Ilmo.

She makes an all-out attempt at reaching them, even though crawling with her bad arm is excruciating. But she can’t make it.

“No!”

Like a bolt of lightning in the thunderstorm of commotion around them, a cry pierces the night.

"Tämä riitti vie sinut tuonpuoleiseen!"

Saga is helpless as Ilmo plunges the knife deep into Aleksi’s chest. 

Just then, there’s a blinding light followed by a booming eruption of darkness.

The force, coming from somewhere behind them, sends everyone in the vicinity flying a few feet. Saga’s face ends up being pressed painfully into the ground.

Slowly, she lifts her head. Everything’s gone quiet and her ears are ringing. The red coloring of the air is gone and both the gunfire and pounding has stopped, leaving only the patter of the rainfall. Saga’s whole body aches. What happened..?

“I’m sorry,” she hears a voice, Wake’s voice, distantly say. “I’m so sorry.”

She opens her eyes and tries to gather her bearings. She can see Ilmo on the ground a few feet away from her, yet to get up. The Taken are nowhere to be seen. Neither is Kesä. 

At first.

As sense returns to her after the blast, Saga spots a pair of bare feet gradually stepping toward her. Her gaze trails upward to see that it’s Kesä. Kesä, with a bloody torso and twisted smile, enveloped by wisps of darkness.

Fuck.

He reaches her and she’s too weak to stop him from forcefully grabbing her injured arm and dragging her backward.

“No!” she screams, exhausted and frightened, fighting against his grip. “Aleksi!”

Aleksi, if it even is Aleksi anymore, just snarls and drags her through the mud. Saga’s head suddenly hits something behind her. Brick. Fuck.

“Don’t!” she begs while her body screams in agony.

Kesä doesn’t listen. 

Saga thinks of Logan as a strong force lifts her up and tosses her over the edge of the well. She is powerless to stop it from happening, powerless against his grasp. She saw the truth too late and is facing the karma of her decisions.

Countless memories of Saga’s life flash through her mind as she falls down and down, preparing for impact, unaware of the water when it surges up to catch her.

Finnish translations:

Aleksi:

"Sinäkinkö? Oletkin yksi niistä?" = "You're one of them?"

"Luotin sinuun." = "I trusted you."

"Luotin sinuun, saatanan petturi!" = "I trusted you, you fucking traitor!"

"Niiden sadistien kätyri!" = "You're a lackey to those sadists!"

"Päästä irti! Painu helvettiin! Jätä minut rauhaan! Päästä irti!" = "Let go! Go to hell! Leave me in peace! Let go!"

"Ei, ei, ei, armoa! Ei taas! Lopettakaa!" = "No, no, no, mercy! Not again! Stop!"

"Ahti! Auta minua! Älä jätä minua yksin!" = "Ahti! Help me! Don't leave me alone!"

"Ei taas! En pysty tähän enää..." = "Not again! I can't do this anymore..."

Ilmari:

"Voi vittu!" = "Fuck!"

"Tämä riitti vie sinut tuonpuoleiseen!" = "This is the ritual to lead you on!"

Thanks for reading :)

[the-hidden-writer]

Reread some of my older works today. While my style has evolved, I think I want to go back and finish some of the bigger unfinished ones soon. And Into The Fire (the mitchells vs the machines) and A Second Chance (ace attorney) come to mind. The tricky part would be remembering where I was going with them 😅

[the-hidden-writer]

Chapter 17 sneak peek

A little sneak peek of chapter 17 of A Piece of True Fiction: The Ritual. I think I'm going to up the rating because of this one.

Full fic link: [Here!]

It's the longest chapter yet and will probably be uploaded in full this weekend :3

The thought of actually carrying out the ritual makes her consider Aleksi again. His eyes are still shut and his head shifts ever so slightly, as if having a bad dream. The back of the FBC truck has two benches on either side facing each other, military-style. Young had offered to sit with (and hold) Kesä due to Saga’s bad arm. Saga was grateful for and had accepted the offer, but having to sit there staring Kesä’s unconscious body head-on ended up being highly unsettling. Especially since the sight of him sitting up with his head hanging near his chest reminds her too much of that strange film in the nursing home basement. It’s an unwelcome distraction.

When Aleksi had initially slipped under, she’d been struck with the idea of removing some of his clothing to try and make the ritual more efficient. Her conscience had quickly shut that thought down. She’s aware that it’s pretty hypocritical to draw the line at undressing someone without consent while also planning to cut their heart out, but there are some morals that she can’t shake even in the most desperate of situations.

Stranger still, she feels concerned that she’d even had that thought in the first place, because she’s so strongly against it. It had almost felt foreign, like an excited whisper in her ear. Drug him. Undress him. Steal his heart. Bring me back. 

She doubles down on her stance. She’s not that sort of person. She doesn’t want to do this and is only doing it for Casey’s sake. Ilmo can do what he must and she will only assist where necessary, if necessary. 

Aleksi lets out a whimper in his slumber and Saga momentarily rethinks everything.

Is this really the only way to bring Casey back? The initial panic about running out of time had made her rush into the idea of this ritual without properly discussing options with anyone. She’d normally discuss them with Casey, but…

She tries to imagine what Casey would say in this situation.

Don’t bother, Anderson. I’ll be fine, I’ve gotten out of worse scrapes. You go save that daughter of yours.

Nope. She tries again.

That’s a lot of faith you’re putting in Wake. Personally, I don’t trust that bastard one bit. Just because he spelled things out for you doesn’t mean he’s telling the truth. Are you even sure it was him?

The thought gives Saga pause. The truth is, she doesn’t have any evidence that the man claiming to be Alan Wake was actually Alan Wake. But the way the surface-Alan had described having doppelgängers, and the fact that she’s been seeing a version of him in the Overlaps, not to mention Scratch being still at large... combined it makes stuck-Alan’s explanation more viable. Plus, she’d since seen evidence that he’d been telling the truth, such as Kesä being friends with someone from Bright Falls, someone who she’s almost certain Casey has never met, and the film in the nursing home basement, one that she’s convinced displayed Casey’s predicament in the Dark Place like stuck-Alan’s description. 

But still…

[the-hidden-writer]

This chapter is twice the length of the others. I refuse to split it.

Nervous about uploading it, I hope the vision gets across.

Slightly worried that I'm being a tiny bit too ambitious with the next chapter. I don't want it feeling like it's too out there or that there's too much going on.

Then again, considering the source material...

[the-hidden-writer]

Introducing the Oceanview Guestbook’s fantastic and talented team of contributors!! For the second Remedy zine, we expanded our contributor count. This year, we have 30 artists and 14 writers. 

We can’t wait to share what everyone has been diligently working on! As a reminder, the finished zine will be released September 23, 2024!   Be sure to follow the zine's socials to stay up to date!

📌 https://fbczine.carrd.co 📌 https://twitter.com/FBCzine

Contributor socials under the cut! Be sure to check them out too!

Writers:

@madotsuki | entityredacted (Twitter) | @mortimermcmirestinks @alittlesliceofcucumber | @doctor-fluffy | chromsexual (Twitter) |@solynacea | @jessefadenfbc | @pinkomcranger | sabrinadev (Bluesky) | feeniebaybee (Twitter) | @therealtsk | @wondrouswendy | @rangerzath

Artists:

aghoulprince (Twitter) | altoarcadevere (Twitter) | drawing_ash (Twitter) | @thejoxaren | @star-spangled-bastard | dhondt_creative (Twitter) | bubbly.clouds (Instagram) | charlet_art (Twitter) | thedogtor (Twitter) | @stegozavr | gracedrawsstuff (Twitter) | incomescrane (Twitter) | @lostinthewoodsomewhere | marms.art (Instagram) | margeauxdesign (Twitter) | mossflavouredbaby (Instagram) | @a-flappy-bat | puddle_lane (Instagram) | @pythosart | razorflame45 (Twitter) | rednightskiess (Twitter) | @rubeau-art | siiins (Twitter) | sky.stage (Instagram) | harbingercrow (Instagram) | sp8cequ33n (Twitter) | tarphidraws (Twitter) | _thechatster_ (Twitter) | artvalentinapaz (Twitter) | virgil_630 (Twitter)

[the-hidden-writer]

Slightly worried that I'm being a tiny bit too ambitious with the next chapter. I don't want it feeling like it's too out there or that there's too much going on.

Then again, considering the source material...

[the-hidden-writer]

A Piece of True Fiction: Chapter 16

An Alan Wake 2 fic. Spoilers for Alan Wake 2!

Summary: Aleksi Kesä manages to slip out of the spiral and film he was trapped in.

Saga Anderson, caught in the middle of Wake's horror story, finds a man that looks identical to her partner in the middle of the woods. He's lost, confused, and only seems to speak Finnish. Saga has to try and uncover the truth as well as trying to save her family. Where did he come from? How did he get here?

And where's her Casey?

Chapter Summary: Saga forgets to close the door. Chapter CW: needles, drugs Words: 2,497 AO3 Link: [Here!] [First part] [Previous part] [Next part]

A Piece of True Fiction

Chapter 16: Reunion

Saga sucks in a lungful of air as she limps back to the Bright Falls Sheriff Station.

The streets are empty. It’s so dark outside, the earliest hours of the morning, and she hopes that the sleeping town is having nice dreams while she goes through hell. She hopes that the children here will wake up in the morning and nothing will have changed in their lives. She hopes the same for Logan.

Her body is injured and exhausted. Rescuing Tor had been about as straightforward as she’d expected- that is, not easy at all. The Overlap was dark and cramped and Cynthia Weaver had been a difficult enemy. It had cost her nearly all of her ammo, but Saga had managed to eventually bring her down and get Tor out alive. 

After a conversation with Tor (in her Mind Place, a concept that Saga is still getting used to) she’s now convinced that Tor Anderson is her actual grandfather. All the details line up perfectly with what Mom had told her, even down to what little she knows about her father. It’s a massive revelation that she plans to deal with once this is all over, whenever that may be. Soon, she hopes. It would be nice to have family again.

She’d also seen Wake in the Overlap yet again, presumably from the past. She’d tried to get him to keep Logan out of the story but she doesn’t think she managed to get through to him. It had been worth a shot, at least. She still has the Clicker, and based on what she’d learned from Tor and Odin, he can use it to write her out retroactively.

She tries to keep her thoughts on that, rather than the impending ritual she has to carry out.

Strangely, she doesn’t feel as disgusted at the idea of ripping a man’s heart out like she was before. Maybe emptying a dozen rounds into a frail-looking old woman has numbed her to the goriness. Or maybe she’s starting to feel too tired to care. 

It’s more likely because every time she closes her eyes she’s haunted by that image of Casey, bound and unconscious in a dark room. ‘Save Him’. It’s hard to shake away.

While she walks, Saga decides to call Estevez to let her know she’s on her way. Estevez picks up on the second ring.

“Anderson? I was getting worried. You good?”

“I’m fine,” Saga says, even though her body protests the fact. “I’m just on my way back now. Is everything ready for the ritual?”

“Well, our containment unit’s all set up in Coffee World and I’ve spoken to Koskela about taking a short trip. He seems game but I’ve warned him that we’ll shoot if he tries to run, just in case.”

“Right.” Since Saga’s been so focused on trying to save others, she hadn’t really considered that Ilmo might try and use the situation to his advantage. On one hand, she sees his logic, and if the cult truly were trying to kill the Taken then maybe he’s planning to stick with her and fight against the story. On the other hand, he’s still dealing with the raw pain of losing his twin, which makes his actions more unpredictable. “What about Aleksi?”

“Still with Ahti.” Even now, Saga can hear the bitterness in her voice. “I thought they were arguing at one point but I’m pretty sure they made up again. It’s hard to tell when I’ve got no idea what they’re saying.”

She sighs and Saga can envision her recollecting herself.

“Good news is I don’t think either of them have caught onto our preparations.”

A promising start. “Okay, great. That reminds me, we need to take Ahti back to the Valhalla Nursing Home before we leave. They noticed he was missing.”

Estevez doesn’t reply immediately. There’s a long inhale on the other end of the line. 

“You know what? It’s Ahti. I shouldn’t even question it. It’s just-” she cuts herself off. “Nope, not even going there. It’s fine.”

Saga politely decides not to comment on Estevez’s barely-contained breakdown and brings the topic back to the matter at hand. “Any ideas for transport?”

“We do have a small containment truck, should be big enough for all of us. I can drive and I’ll keep Koskela in my sight at the front. You and Young can ride in the back with Kesä. The two officers here can man the station while we’re gone, and my three agents are already there waiting, so… I think we’re all set.”

“Thanks, Estevez,” Saga says sincerely. “I don’t know how I’d manage this without you.”

Estevez’s tone comes back a little less authoritative in return. “Yeah, well… this case is pretty fucked up. Let’s just hope that together we can un-fuck it up.”

Saga’s too tired to laugh, but she can’t help but smile a little. “Yeah. At least we’re getting to the heart of it now.”

Estevez snorts. “Oh har har.”

Saga’s smile grows, though her heart aches for Casey again. She feels like he and Estevez would really get along. After this, maybe they still could.

“I’m nearly there. I’ll see you inside.”

“Alright. See you soon, Anderson.” She hangs up and Saga tries to build up both energy and courage as she turns the corner to head into the street where the station resides.

As she does, the whispers of the night get louder. Saga hadn’t faced that many Taken in the nursing home and her instinct tells her that it would be illogical for them to have all suddenly disappeared. There are flickers of movement in the shadows, giving her the impression that she isn’t alone anymore. While Estevez hadn’t informed her of another attack, Saga wouldn’t be surprised if there are Taken still lingering around the Sheriff’s Station.

She does her best to straighten her gait and mentally prepare herself for what she’s about to do before knocking on the door. Focus, Saga. Just a little more.

Agent Young (with his very bruised nose) answers the door for her again and leads her inside. He turns left, stating that Estevez is in the office in the back, but Saga hangs back. She looks to her right, toward the end of the hall where the Sheriff’s Office is.

The door is wide open. She spots Kesä inside, with his back to her. Over his shoulder, she makes eye contact with Ahti. He frowns.

Following his gaze, Kesä whips around to face her too. In contrast to his companion, he smiles and begins to step toward her. "Saga! Miten meni, missä nyt olitkaan?"

Unsure how to react, Saga holds a hand out as if to say ‘wait’. “Hold on. Just wait there.”

She looks behind at Ahti for help. The man grumbles loud enough to be heard down the hall. Even so, he still seems to take the hint, addressing Aleksi. "Odotahan, poika. Meillä on vielä juttu kesken."

Kesä turns around to answer and Saga utilizes the chance to carry on making her way down the hall to find Estevez. It occurs to her that they’re yet to plan exactly how they’re going to get Kesä into the truck and perform this ritual. Sure, he doesn’t know what they’re planning yet, but he’s going to catch on eventually. Restraints are probably a given.

Inside the room, Estevez is joined by the two Bright Falls officers, as well as Agent Young. She motions for Saga to shut the door behind her, which she does. They couldn’t let Kesä (or Ahti, for that matter) find out what they’re planning at such a critical moment.

Estevez nods at her by way of greeting. “Anderson.”

“Estevez,” Saga returns. She glances at the others in the room. “Is everything ready?”

“We’re all set,” answers Estevez.

“Any idea how we’re going to get Aleksi there?”

Estevez points at a desk to the side. “One step ahead of you.”

Laid out neatly on the desk are two pairs of handcuffs, four tiny glass bottles, a set of six sterile needles packaged in plastic, and a knife. Saga picks up the knife first.

“The one we took off Koskela,” Estevez explains. “Since this isn’t exactly a delicate operation, I thought you might need something bigger than a scalpel.”

The logic is sound, even if holding the knife in her hands fills Saga with dread. Anyways, Ilmo will be the one using it, not her. She can handle the heart afterward. 

She places the knife back down and picks up one of the bottles for closer inspection. “Ketamine?”

“Knew we had some in stock downstairs. Helps to have a morgue on hand,” one of the officers comments.

“That works,” says Saga. It’s all starting to feel very real and the doubt starts to bubble up to the surface again. But they’ve come too far to turn back now. “I guess I’ll administer it, since I’m trained.”

Estevez clears her throat awkwardly. “Well, I was going to suggest we take one each and go with whoever gets to him first, but that’s probably a better idea.”

Saga swallows down her discomfort and nods, picking up and pocketing a pair of doses and needles each. Estevez was right to some degree, she shouldn’t be the only one with the sedatives on hand, so she leaves two sets for someone else to take. She takes the knife as well before turning back to Estevez. “We should get Ilmo now. Everything should be ready to go before I deliver the injection.”

Estevez pushes herself to her feet. “No time like the present. Let’s go, Young.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

While Estevez starts to limp her way to the door (Saga had forgotten just how bad her leg had been) Agent Young grabs both sets of handcuffs. “One for Koskela, one for Casey,” he says.

“Kesä,” Saga immediately corrects. “He’s not a real person. Casey’s who we’re rescuing.”

“Right. Sorry.”

Agents Young, Estevez, and Anderson. Between the three of them, they should be able to pull this off, Saga thinks. Along with the additional three agents at Coffee World, and Ilmo with his experience, subduing one man shouldn’t be too hard. 

The three of them exit the room and walk to the cell block. Young opens the door and approaches Ilmo’s cell with Estevez and Saga herself trailing close behind.

Once all three of them are inside, Estevez steps forward and pulls out a set of keys in order to unlock Ilmo’s cell. 

“What the fuck?” Saga hears Wake ask from his cell.

Once his door is opened, Ilmo shows no resistance and offers his hands up for Young to handcuff. While they’re being adjusted, he looks up. “Are you still sure about this, Saga?”

“I’m sure.”

“Will someone please tell me what the fuck is going on!” Alan yells suddenly.

“Wake, calm down,” Estevez asserts. “We need Koskela’s guidance on something. We’ll be back soon.”

Wake does not calm down. Instead, he releases a loud, frustrated groan that almost sounds like a growl. “You don’t understand! This isn’t right, this isn’t my story!”

“Good!” Saga snaps, startling both FBC agents. “Then my daughter is still alive!”

Wake’s jaw clicks shut. He positions himself at the edge of his cell, as close to the bars as possible. His voice turns soft. “Saga, I’m sorry. Just… please trust me.”

Saga closes her eyes as the emotion adding to her exhaustion becomes overwhelming. Except when she closes her eyes she’s faced with that image of Casey again. She opens them to see Young maneuvering a very tense-looking Ilmo to face her direction, preparing to leave.

“Are you alright, Ilmo?” she asks.

Ilmo nods, slow and deliberate.

When she ignores him, Wake resumes his yelling about stories and Scratch. Saga will talk to him only when she has Casey back by her side. She tries to tune out the shouts.

“Let’s just go,” Ilmo says, his expression hardened. “I want to help you and I can’t promise that I won’t try to…”

He trails off and his stony expression melts into bewilderment. Saga wouldn’t think much of it if not for the fact that Wake’s shouting also suddenly dies down. She looks between the two of them in confusion, only to notice that they’re not looking at her.

They’re looking past her.

Saga slowly turns around, cursing herself. She’d forgotten to close the door.

Aleksi stands there with his mouth hanging open, his icy eyes wider than she’s ever seen them. His gaze seems to flicker between Alan and Ilmo while his breathing visibly quickens. He looks utterly dumbfounded.

Glancing back over her shoulder, Saga sees that both Alan and Ilmo wear a similar shocked expression. The three of them are transfixed by one another. It feels like a joke that she hasn’t been let in on.

Estevez and Young look completely surprised too and the cell keys fall to the ground with a gentle clink. Time stands still and nobody seems to know what to do, all waiting for someone else to react first.

Then everything happens at once.

Kesä takes two hesitant steps back before darting out the door. Young releases the still-handcuffed Ilmo, who curses very loudly in Finnish, to give chase. At the same time, Wake cries: “Saga, stop! You can’t do this!” 

But Saga has already sprinted out after Aleksi.

She and Young both race after him as he runs toward the front door, passing Ahti in the corridor. The elderly man also calls after them.

“Älä hölmöile nyt! Don’t be a fool!"

Kesä, surprisingly spry, makes it out the door, though Saga isn’t far behind, using her shoulder to push the door back open and quickly rushing down the steps…

…Only to come to a complete halt. 

Standing eerily still in a line in the middle of the road, blocking Kesä’s path, are seven Taken donned in full cultist attire. Kesä stops just before reaching them and lets out an anguished cry at the sight, staggering backward. 

To her left, Saga sees Agent Young catch up with her. He gives her a pointed, encouraging nod as he regains his breath.

In response, Saga fumbles to open the packet, take out a needle, and fill it with liquid from the bottle. She braces herself. Kesä is fully surrounded and the Taken don’t seem to be making a move, for some reason. A perfect opportunity.

She shoots forward at the same time that Aleksi turns to look back. She catches the tears in his eyes as she jams the needle into his arm. She also catches his look of utter betrayal before he wobbles on his feet and goes slack against her.

“Saga…”

Saga looks over her shoulder to see Agent Young hurrying forward with the other pair of handcuffs. Estevez and Ilmo stand in the doorway, having caught up with them, both taken aback by the sight of the Taken.

It’s now or never.

“Let’s go.”

Finnish Translations:

Aleksi:

"Miten meni, missä nyt olitkaan?" = "How did it go, wherever you were just now?"

Ahti:

"Odotahan, poika. Meillä on vielä juttu kesken." = "Wait, boy. We're not done talking."

“Älä hölmöile nyt!" = "Don't play the fool, now!"

Thanks for reading!

[the-hidden-writer]

getting chills writing the next chapter. the start of the end, maybe. or maybe not.

either way, the next chapter is called "Reunion".