The General Store & Sheriff's Station

After crashing his car, Alan Wake encounters Carl Stucky, who is under the influence of a dark force. Following this mysterious event, Alan discovers manuscript pages describing an entity called the Dark Presence and events mirroring his own experiences. He then makes his way to a gas station, where he learns he has lost an entire week.

Upon reaching the gas station, Alan contacts the local sheriff. When Sheriff Brightman arrives, Alan informs her about Alice's disappearance but omits details about the attack by Carl Stucky. Sheriff Brightman reveals that the island in Cauldron Lake, where Alan claims to have stayed, vanished after a volcanic eruption in 1970.

At the sheriff's station, Alan receives a call from a man claiming to have Alice. The kidnapper puts Alice on the phone and instructs Alan to meet him at Lover's Peak at midnight. Alan decides to bring the manuscript pages he has collected, hoping they will suffice. However, a heavy police presence, led by FBI agent Robert Nightingale, blocks his exit from the trailer park. Nightingale, who appears to have a particular dislike for writers, begins shooting, allowing Alan to escape amidst the chaos.