Departure (manuscript)

"The night had been one desperate situation after another."

― Departure

As Alan explores Bright Falls, he discovers pages to the manuscript of a novel entitled Departure. Reading it closely, he finds that they paint a picture of the growing chaos across town, and sometimes reveal events before they occur. As the player collect the pages, they are stored in their inventory.

Departure was to be Alan Wake's next book, but could not come to write it because of his writer's block. However, in Nightmare, he finds pages of the book entitled "Departure", with the author being him, except he does not remember writing it. Alan also seems to find them in the wrong order, some regarding on his previous experiences, and some regarding on what is yet to come. Some of which are what is happening to him at that moment.

A supposed sequel to Departure was also written, called "Return", though the real sequel was required to be named Initiation.

Known pages[]

Alan Wake[]

The Alan Wake Files[]

These pages are as such found in The Alan Wake Files.

Page 1[]

According to the Alan Wake Files, this page was found near Lovers' Peak.

...four days after she reached the age of twenty-six, Maggie decided her life was over. If asked to explain why, she could not have answered. If pressed, she might admit it had something to do with Samuel. How he had left three months ago without a word, and how she had just seen him at a party, and how he had his arm around a beautiful girl she’d never seen before. It was more than that of course — it was always more than that. That’s why she was walking the seven miles to Lovers’ Peak. Teenagers had parties out there, and very occasionally someone would fall or jump. She hiked the trails wearing her old headlamp, following the bouncing ball of light like she was reading the lyrics to a song. When she reached the peak she switched the headlamp off. If asked, she would say that she did not jump. She simply inched herself closer and closer to the edge until the inevitable happened. Eyes wide open, she fell rapidly, but death was quicker. In her last moment, she saw a great cloud of ink rise from the tree canopy and catch her like an insect in amber. It held her softly, the way Samuel once did, and by the time it brought her down to the forest floor to settle on her feet it was as though she were reborn and ready to start her new life. Perhaps she would visit an old friend and...

Page 2[]

According to the Alan Wake Files, this page was found half buried in the forest.

Ellen shivered as the storm rolled in. A sweater and jacket should have been plenty to ward off the chill, but it was dark and suddenly so bitter that the stars looked jagged. A scientist should always be prepared, she chided herself. Ellen wasn’t weird, no matter what the other 7th graders said. Her mind just worked differently. Which was why she was sitting in the forest with her ears stopped up and a mini tape recorder beside her. Soon, she would know the answer to the question: if a tree falls in the middle of the forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? Extra credit! The alder trees rattled against each other in the wind like finger bones. Soon as the storm toppled one over, the recorder would provide the proof if it actually made a sound when it fell. She shivered again, her breath frosty. She looked around, trying to get her bearings, but everything seemed tilted and out of place. Even the stars were blinking out, like somebody pulled the plug on heaven.

Page 3[]

According to the Alan Wake Files, this page was found on the Elderwood Nature Trail, near the tree known as “The Great Old One".

...nothing to cover herself but the shadows that overwhelmed her, she reached for the light switch in desperation. She cringed, and crossed her arms across her chest, hugging her own body close, bracing for the onslaught. Squeezing her eyes shut, she shuddered as she felt the darkness fill her, chasing away every hope, attacking even her memory of her own identity. The alarm of the invasion caused her to cry out involuntarily, which only sped the inevitable: her descent into despair hurtled like a pitch-black boulder thrown down a dark mine shaft. Her cries came out in muffled choking sounds. In her ears, she could hear what sounded like a monsoon crashing its devastation inside the cabin. Outside, there was near silence. The elderly couple who walked by heard nothing of the internal storm that raged only a few yards away. “It’s cold,” the old woman said to her husband, “suddenly very cold.” Her gray curls shook as she shivered. The old man smiled. “You’re always cold,” he said. There did seem to be an extra breeze through the forest. He slipped his jacket off and put it over her shoulders, thinking he was rescuing the nearest damsel in distress.

Page 4[]

According to the Alan Wake Files, this page was found beside an abandoned RV.

Worst vacation ever. Two weeks off a year and Blaine had to spend it driving around in an RV with his in-laws from Tokyo. People acted like they had never seen a redwood tree, and his mother-in-law found every jerkwater town “cute.” Nothing cute about Bright Falls, just redneck dopes asking him what kind of mileage he got in the Winnebago. Didn’t help that his wife Asako’s spastic colon was kicking up with all the fast food, making her totally useless. It all fell on Blaine. He wanted to barrel on to Longview or Portland, someplace with a Sizzler and a multiplex, but his in-laws had seen the mountain turnout and wanted to stay and watch the sunset. Like the sun never set in Japan. Fine, Blaine stayed in the RV while the three of them stood against the railing taking pictures. Geez, it got dark fast up here in Nowheresville. Hardly see a thing. One minute it was twilight, and the next...

Page 5[]

According to the Alan Wake Files, this page was found near an abandoned cabin in the woods, north of Cauldron Lake.

Bill rocked on the porch of his cabin as the last of the light faded, listening to his stomach growl. When his little brother disappeared twenty-six years ago, at least Bill got dinner. Oh sure, folks had traded tales of screams in the night, and nothing but a smear of blood left behind, and poor Timmy this and poor Timmy that, but Bill had insisted the brat must have gotten lost or fallen down a well. Timmy was always careless. Always sticking his nose in places it didn’t belong. Clara was the same way. Bill’s wife. Clara never liked the cabin — always worried about being so far from other folks, always seeing things in the trees, always asking him dumb questions. Now, Clara had disappeared too. Snatched away an hour ago, leaving a pan of meatloaf fixings on the table. The night deepened, but Bill maintained the same unhurried rocking. He liked the gathering darkness, the way the shadows piled up on each other. All these years and he never missed his little brother and he wouldn’t miss Clara either. He would miss her meatloaf though.

Page 6[]

According to the Alan Wake Files, this page was found in a ditch alongside Route 21B.

If Donny Ray thought Darlene was going to fall for that “I run out of gas” nonsense, he had another thing coming. She had slammed the door of his 4x4 so hard it about cracked the window. She didn’t care. Donny Ray did, though, running after her, yelling who did she think she was. Darlene knew who she was. She was the one saying shove it to Donny Ray, which was why she lay hunkered down in the weeds, listening to the crickets while Donny Ray thrashed around in the darkness, bellowing about what he was going to do to her when he found her. Crickets got real quiet, but Donny Ray didn’t notice. Darkness boiled up from the trees, and he didn’t notice that either, not even when it rolled right towards him. Heart pounding, Darlene eased towards the road and started walking quickly back to town. She promised herself she wouldn’t run, wouldn’t panic, wouldn’t give in to fear but that didn’t last long. She didn’t look back though. Not once. So that was something. Darlene first felt it coming after her like a vibration under her feet, almost a tickle. It would have been half-pleasant on a sunny day, lying around by the lake, eyes closed, like somebody was teasing her toes with a blade of grass. She was long past that though. Not tonight. No...

In-Game Cutscenes[]

These pages are generally seen briefly in cutscenes. They're not as well written as some of the pages Alan picks up.

Episode 4: The Truth[]

In the cabin, two stuffed ravens stare at Wake and Alice from atop a bookshelf. Wake is surprised to find his typewriter sitting on the desk. Alice has planned the whole thing behind Wake's back to get him writing again. The vacation was just a ruse to get Wake here. Wake feels angry and betrayed. Everyone keeps pushing him to do something he is not ready to do. Wake and Alice argue about it. Suddenly, the lights in the cabin start to flicker. Unseen by Wake and Alice, Barbara Jagger stands in the shadows in the cabin. As soon as it began, the flickering stops and Jagger is gone. Alice is startled by the flickering lights. Wake is too angry to stay. He needs to cool off, clear his head.

Wake storms out of the cabin. He is certain that Alice will not follow him into the dark. When Wake gets to the car, he hears Alice. She is screaming in terror, calling his name. There is a splash of water and then silence. Alarmed, Wake picks up a flashlight from the car and rushes back to the lake. Wake is surprised to see that the cabin is dark, the lights are out. He looks for Alice. Wake scans the dark water with his lamp. He sees her form underwater, sinking into the darkness. He draws a shuddering breath and dives into the black water.

Wake wakes up gasping from a nightmare. He is in the car. The car has crashed against a tree. It's night. He is bleeding from his forehead. He has hit his head. He staggered out. He calls out Alice's name. There is no reply.

Location: Can be seen in the dream sequence in Episode 4, where Alan places the page on the desk next to him.

It's possible this page was originally part of the script for the game, but was snuck into a cutscene. The events that occur in the game are slightly different to those depicted here.

Official Survival Guide[]

Inside the survival guide are five "lost files" spread out across the guide.

Lost File #1: Prelude to the Falls[]

Wake watched his life unravel. Others had overstayed their welcome, rubber-necking their way into his private life. True, he’d had his fair share of run-ins with the paparazzi. But no one needed this kind of stress. He needed a change. Alice told him she’d arrange everything: the plane tickets, the rental car, and a cabin with views of Mirror Peak. This was to be an unforgettable vacation.

Lost File #2: A Seasoned Sherpa[]

The man beckoned him over, ready to impart the local flavor, with a knowing glint in his eye. This was a path tracked before, both recently and decades ago. The guide was a dishevelled fellow, with a scruffy beard and an overly elaborate flourish to his narration. But he was the best the visitor could manage. And he knew Alan Wake’s secrets.

Lost File #3: Master of the Marionettes[]

Deerfest was in full swing, and Harbor Street was awash in red, white, and blue confetti. He stared out from the window of the Oh Deer Diner, and saw life pass him by. These people were the salt of the earth, ready to help both friend or stranger. These people were cruel, uncaring, and mischievous. Out for themselves, and fearful of failure. These people were mad. And he was the master of these mad marionettes

Lost File #4: Shadowed by Another[]

Wake watched with interest from his new study, as the long-haired man left a psychic strand—an almost invisible impression—in his own wake. Alan was being followed. A fellow traveler, naive enough to plunge into the unexplored deep? Or a figment of Wake’s own imagination, created by the author to weave layer upon meticulous layer so others could watch Wake’s own predicament play out?

Lost File #5: 1000 Points of Light[]

For Wake, the adventure was over. He was content to re-read his Manuscript Pages, and double-check any loose ends, or plot discrepancies. Two days later, he had finished. Another literary triumph, and one he could now share with the many fans who descended on the small Pacific Northwest town, hoping to follow in his footsteps. He had achieved so much. But he had sacrificed more.

This lost file appears at the end of the Prima guide, and is more of a congratulatory page for the player getting, originally, 1,000 Xbox achievement points for following the guide.

Trivia[]

During the first playthrough of a flashback when Alan arrives at his home and when you go see Alice in her office doing posters for his book, go to his study and you'll find a manuscript page, as well as several books written by him. The manuscript pages, The Sudden Stop 1 and 2, all describe Alex Casey. The deep voice is not of Alan Wake, but Casey, which in first describes snow and a femme fatale and the second one describes the end of his revenge and at the end, Casey gets to see his wife and baby again. These are allusions to Remedy Entertainment's other franchise, Max Payne. The snowy setting is mostly the setting for Max Payne and Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne. which the at the beginning of The Sudden Stop, talks about the fall and sudden stop at the end, references the title. The femme fatale in the story is likely a reference to Mona in The Fall of Max Payne. Also, Alex Casey describes his wife and baby, who are dead, which alludes Max Payne's family who died on the first game. Also, the books Alan wrote have references to story plots of Max Payne. Two of which is, "The Fall of Casey" and "Alex Casey" references Max Payne and The Fall of Max Payne. While first game was developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by "G.O.D. games" for PC and Rockstar Games for consoles, Max Payne 2 was published only by Rockstar, in conjunction with Remedy games who developed it, since the rights to May Payne were sold to Take-Two Interactive, who is the owner of Rockstar Games. The deep voice of Alex Casey sounds identical to Max Payne himself. As well, Alex Casey and Max Payne are both. The narrarator of these two pages is Max Payne's voice actor "James McCaffrey".
The pages in the game contain the texture of directions Alan had to take in the first episode. This can be seen using no clip mode before you pick up a page.
The text of Page 2 from Chapter 1 "Wake Attacked by a Shadowy Murderer", and Page 13 from Chapter 2 "Alice's Fear of the Dark", and text from at least one other manuscript page, can be seen on a page that Alan Wake (or rather, his actor, Ilkka Villi) picks up in the music video for the song "War" by Poets of the Fall.
In Alan Wake 2, snippets of Departure's manuscript pages can be found written on various posters, signs, and notices around the New York Dark Place. For example, Mulligan Questions Nightingale's Orders can be found on signs in the first Break Room of the Subway.