oceanview || ❝ i must guide my love through the night. ❞

[outlierdirector]

OCEANVIEW II

into the dark, dark, dark.

I’m fighting to save my love somеhow
I cannot feel her by my side
Even in this placе inside my mind CODE BY TESSISAMESS

Comments

— special guest i.

[outlierdirector]

[ « No, no, no, no! It's not supposed to end like this! This can't be the ending. This isn't how it's supposed to go--is it? It can't be. This isn't how he'd write it. No, it can't be real. This isn't the real ending! »

The only feeling that validates her thoughts is that feeling of falling. Falling from very high and a sudden impact. The sort that happens in dreams that causes you to wake up from. It's a familiar feeling to Jesse, because it's how she feels at the end of every loop.

Like she's falling out of reality into another one.

She always ends up in the Oceanview Motel, laying on her back, staring at the ceiling of the hallway, laying inside her half-assed control point. The lights are always dimmed and parts of the Motel dark due to it's connection to the Dark Place. Sometimes she has to go through the ritual of three to get back to where she was in the Motel. It's the same spot, really, but with the wall almost fully covered in notes.

Notes of the loop she just experienced. Notes that she writes down a copy of and slips under the Spiral Door. It hasn't had any luck so far, but, she hopes that somehow those notes reach Alan Wake. Because then maybe he'll find the right way to get the edits so they can all go home. She can't get through that door--the Motel won't give her the key.

The notes are the only thing she has other than using Polaris to send messages. Or, the even smaller hope, that maybe Alan will find the Light Cord Switch again to come back to the Motel.

None of that is what happens this time.

Jesse still feels the fall and the sudden stop at the end. The jerking sensation and then her eyes snapping open.

But it isn't the Motel she's in. It's... a waiting room?

She sits up on the couch (couch?) and looks around the dimly lit room. The lights surround mirrors like the the old Hollywood films. Pictures line the room of faces she's never seen, and some that she knows intimately. She stands up and moves to the wall, taking in each signed photo. A Mr. Door? The Old Gods of Asgard--like they were from the back of her dad's old records? Sam Lake--funny, he looked like Agent Casey? And Alan Wake.

« Alan? He's here? He can't be here, he's trapped. Trapped in the Dark Place... »

Jesse stops then and looks around the room again. ]

Polaris?

[ Polaris is never really gone now. She can't be, with how interwoven the two are. But, she feels far away. Muted, somehow. Just like when Jesse finds herself in the Astral Plane. Something else dominates this space, and it's powerful enough to lessen Polaris. The thought alone fills her with a sense of dread.

« I don't want to be alone here. »

A sound of cheering catches her attention, and Jesse slowly turns her gaze back to the television on one of the counters. She hesitantly makes her way to it, raising her fingers to brush along the screen. Except she never really touches the screen. Instead, she finds herself nearly falling back over and in another place entirely. A familiar melody reaches her ears from beyond the curtains behind her. She knows that song.

Ahti gave her that song to listen to clear the maze.

Jesse turns on her heels--heels?--and pushes back the curtains. A roaring sound of applause happens and she winces at the bright lights suddenly hitting her.

« What the fuck? » ]

Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome to the show, Ms. Jesse Faden!

[ Her head snaps to the side as she feels someone grab her by the hand and guide her away from the bright lights. Her gaze immediately moves to the person touching her, seeing a man with thick rimmed black glasses in a suit. That's when she also notices her attire has changed from what she remembers it being. She doesn't dress like this. Well, maybe she could see herself dressing like it, but she doesn't. There's no point in ever looking this fancy. ]

Right over here, please! Take a seat! Wow. Now this is really a treat. To think we could get such a renowned guest on the show! I mean, Alan Wake is one thing, but you, Miss Faden? Wow! Or, can I call you Jesse? You don't like formalities as I recall.

[ Jesse's eyes snap back to the man sitting beside her at the desk. A talk show? What? Her gaze darts to the rest of the set. There's shades, maybe people, in the seats. An in house band? Wait, are they really the Old Gods of Asgard? Weren't they in a retirement home?

Alan told her they were over the Hotline.

She looks back to the man beaming from ear to ear waiting her answer.

« Are you there? I guess we should play along for now. » ]

Right, no formalities. Jesse is fine. [ Every part of that internal warning system she has is screaming at her about all of this. It's not real. Not the kind of real she knows. ] Sorry, why am I here?

Oh, that's right! We wanted to keep it a surprise when we reached out to you! [ The smiling man chuckles and leans back in his seat. He's certainly comfortable. ] I wanted to get both of you on the show at the same time, but, you know how it is trying to contact celebrities when they're doing promotional tours.

[ « Celebrities? Does he mean Alan? Is Alan here? » ]

I was hoping we could get an exclusive interview with the mysterious woman of our favorite tortured author! Rumor has it that you might be the new muse, and well, I couldn't help myself! I know it was very hard to get you on the show. You have quite the security detail.

[ « Polaris. He means YOU. » ]

Well, you can't be too ...cautious, I guess. Especially in my line of work.

And what exactly IS your line of work, Jesse? A spy? Oh, maybe a secret agent? Ah, no, that's RIGHT. Aren't you the head of a government agency? So secret that most people will have no idea what you were talking about if you mentioned the name?

It's classified. Redacted.

[ The talk show host laughs and claps his hands. ] And there it is! The classic REDACTED, folks! Oh, we really need to get you on the show more. We could use that kind of humor around here! We love Alan here, don't we everyone? But, he needs to lighten up sometimes. Which I guess is where you must come in.

[ « What IS this? Where AM I? I want to go home. I hate being here. Everything here is WRONG. I can't--it's hard to FEEL you here. Where are you? Can you show me how to get out of here? » ]

I guess I don't really follow. What do you mean by "where I must come in"?

Oh, please, Jesse. There's no need to be so secretive about it. Everyone here knows you're in a relationship with best selling author Alan Wake. A rather intimate one too. [ The host's eyebrows raise and he smirks as if knowing more than he's letting on. ] It must be pretty trying being with such a tortured but talented writer. He's pretty lucky to have you, if I say so myself. But, enough about that. What I wanted was maybe a hint of an inside scoop... about Initiation. Maybe Return?

[ Jesse's attention immediately hones in on the man beside her. Her eyes narrow, and her fingers curl slightly into her palms. No one should know the titles of those manuscripts but Alan. Well, her, because he told her. The FBI agents because they had the title page at one point.

« How the fuck does he know about that? Where AM I?! » ]

I'm sorry. How do you know about that?

Well, Initiation hits shelves tomorrow! Didn't you know that? I thought you were helping direct things behind the scenes. [ The host's attitude immediately drops into something more serious. Only for a few seconds. Then, he's smiling again. ] But, more on that in a few minutes! Don't touch that dial.

We'll be right back with more of our exclusive interview here, on In Between with Mr. Door!

[ The lights shut off except for the overhead analog writing: COMMERCIAL BREAK. ]