You don't even recognise me, do you writer? You think you're god? You think you can just make up stuff? Play with people's lives because you think it adds to the drama? YOU'RE in this story now, and I'll make YOU suffer! 
- ― The Hitchhiker to Alan, Episode 1: Nightmare
The Hitchhiker is a minor character and enemy appearing on Alan Wake. He was a fictional character created by writer Alan Wake for one of his stories.
Appearance[]
The hitchhiker is a caucasian man with blonde hair. He wears a light brown coat over a dark blue quarter zip pullover, dark blue pants and black shoes. He also wears a black woven knit cap. After he is taken over by the Dark Presence, his appearance and clothing becomes darker.
Personality[]
Unlike other individuals possessed by the Dark Presence, the hitchhiker seems to be able to communicate properly. This may stem from the fact that, unlike other taken, the hitchhiker is a fictional character existing only in Alan's mind and not a real person. Alternatively, his comments may be a reflection of Alan's own subconscious thoughts.
After becoming a taken, the hitchhiker shows an immense hatred towards Wake, accusing the writer of being a god that plays with other people's lives for the sake of his stories. He also taunts him by mocking his writing skills, claiming that his stories lacks artistic merits and that the success of his books is solely due to his editor.
Biography[]
During one of his nightmares, Alan Wake found himself driving towards a lighthouse when suddenly, his car hit the hitchhiker. After Wake stepped out from his car to help him, he realized that he had killed the man. The lights of the car suddenly went out and the hitchhiker's body vanished.
The hitchhiker is killed by Alan.
Alan proceded to the lighthouse on foot when the hitchhiker, now possessed by the Dark Presence, reappeared in front of his car before suddenly appearing in front of him. The hitchhiker began taunting the writer while attacking him with an axe. As Alan realized that the hitchhiker is a character from a story he wrote, the taken transformed into a dark tornado. The writer escaped to a nearby cabin, where Clay Steward was waiting for him. Steward told him to enter the cabin. However, the door shut and Steward was locked out of the cabin. The hitchhiker materialized and attacked Steward, killing him with his axe.
The Taken Hitchhiker
The hitchhiker continued to threaten Alan when suddenly the cabin began to tremble. One of the walls was then disintegrated by mysterious light, allowing Alan to escape. The light healed the writer and led him to a nearby clearing, where it gave him a gun and a flashlight before the hitchhiker reappeared. The light explained to Alan that the hitchhiker had been possessed by the Dark Presence and taught him how to kill him. After the light leaves, Alan made his way to the lighthouse, facing several copies of the hitchhiker, until he arrived to the road leading to building. The hitchhiker turned once again into a dark tornado and chased the writer, who managed enter the lighthouse and shut the door close. However, the lights went out and Alan was attacked by the Dark Presence, causing him to wake up.[1]
Quotes[]
- "You're a joke. There wouldn't be a single readable sentence in your books if it wasn't for your editor."
- "You'll never publish another one of your shitty stories, 'cause I'm going to kill you!"
- "It's not like your stories are any good, not like they have any artistic merit. You're a lousy writer. Cheap thrills and pretentious shit! That's all you're good for. Just look at me! Look at your work!"
- "You missed your deadline!"
- "How does it feel to die by the hands of your own creation?"
- "Die, die, die, die, die..."
- "You made me this way! And now I'm gonna kill you!"
- "This is it, Wake!"
- "You're dead, just like me!"
- "Die!"
- "I can keep this up forever!"
Trivia[]
- The hitchhiker is one of the only two known enemies to be fought more than once, the other being the imaginary Barry Wheeler.
- Before being hit by the car, the hitchhiker looks dully at the car, suggesting that he was possibly intoxicated.
- Even though Alan refers to him as a hitchhiker, he is clearly seen standing in the middle of the road without extending his thumb, making his initial motives even more uncertain.
Behind the scenes[]
- On early versions of the game, the Hitchhiker was going to be picked up by Alan Wake after collecting the keys to his cabin from Ben Mott (who at that time had a role similar to that of Carl Stucky). Alan tells the hitchhiker about the similarities between what was happening in the real world and the new novel he was working on, and that in the story, the hitchhiker was about died. Then, the two men notice a body lying in the middle of the road next to a crashed car. As Alan steps out of the car to check the body, a six-wheeler appears from nowhere and collides with his car, presumably killing the hitchhiker.[2]
- This cut scene might have served as inspiration for the Night Springs episode The Doomed Samaritan.
Appearances[]
- Alan Wake
- Episode 1: Nightmare (single appearance)
Gallery[]
