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ALEX CASEY
The rain had nearly stopped once Whiterun began to fade into the distance. It had taken me time to get used to how uncomfortable a carriage in Skyrim was but now I barely felt the various bumps in the poorly maintained road.
I looked at Scouts who looked disappointed that the rain had nearly stopped. After spending a week in Whiterun we had decided to pay a visit to Solitude. That city, the capitol of Skyrim, was the closest to a modern city as I had been able to see since arriving in this place.
“It was good to see Whiterun again.” Scouts said and then sighed. “It would have been better with Meeko.”
The dog had formerly been Jash’s loyal pet. He had died trying to save Scouts. From how Jash had described him, he wouldn’t have liked to have outlived the man beside me. Maybe it was the fact that Meeko reminded him of the husband he had lost that he had never found another dog.
Xul had never had the same place in Jash’s heart.
“Even without a yapping dog, it could hardly have been worse.” I said and Scouts smirked.
“It is ours to know you would have loved Meeko dearly.” Scouts replied. “After we pay a visit to High Queen Elisif, we should go to Lakeview Manor.”
The place where Jash had buried his body. Was Scouts’ ******* insane?
“Are you sure you’re ready?” I asked. “I watched a film and saw myself die brutally. It’s not an easy thing to see your corpse.”
“I hardly expect to dig my body up, my love.” Scouts laughed. “And for one that has such a stoic appearance, you can hardly hide your own heart.”
I held back any reaction, including a groan that threatened to escape, and turned to look outside the carriage. The land in this province was wild and a good way to distract yourself. My eyes looked at deer running away from a pack of wolves.
There were the tremors caused by giants in the distance. The carriage driver flinched but we both knew they tended to stay off of the roads unless someone pissed them off.
And then my eyes fell on a man that looked familiar. Maybe a mercenary or adventurer? No. The clothing was all wrong. He didn’t look like he had been in Skyrim long. I focused more on the clothing an-Alan Wake!
Now that I recognized him I could focus on his face and every other feature that had been burned into my memory.
“Stop!” I yelled.
The moment the carriage stopped I handed the driver more gold. I didn’t bother to count the amount or look at him. It was possible I had just given him more money than he earned in a month and he was grinning from ear to ear.
As I jumped off the cart I felt…I didn’t know how I felt. It must just have been the anticipation of reconnecting with my previous life. The life where I was an FBI agent. The one where the thought of the wilderness of Skyrim would have frightened me away.
No matter what Alan had done, he had formed a large part of my life back on Earth.
I turned briefly to see Scouts still sitting on the cart. By the small rise and fall of his chest and the way his eyes blinked, I could tell that he would make sure that the driver wouldn’t just leave us. If Jash were here he could have summoned horses or dragons for us to ride if the driver abandoned us.
With a slight nod, I turned my attention solely on Alan Wake.
Alan’s face went from frightened to relieved the moment he saw me. He moved and I swear he wanted to hug me. On pure instinct I took a step back. Either he hadn’t meant to hug me or my reaction stopped him.
“I think I made a mistake.” Alan said.
“Some things never change.” I replied. “We’ll stop at Hendraheim and we can discuss your latest **** up.”
“No, I need to see Jash. Now.”
I remembered the same fear in his eyes back in Bright Falls. It was the same way he had acted about Scratch. I felt sick in the pit of my stomach when I imagined how Scratch would have possessed me if not for Jash.
Was he back? What that Alan’s latest **** up?
“Scratch isn’t dead, is he?” I asked.
“Scratch isn’t ever coming back.” Alan reassured me. “The Dark Presence used part of me to create him.”
“And somehow it’s unable to do that again?”
“I was weaker back then. I didn’t know what was really going on. It took advantage of my ignorance.”
I believed him. Any harm he had done before wasn’t because he had meant it. He hadn’t involved me, Jash, Saga, or Logan in his perverted story on purpose.
“Jash.” Alan repeated.
“Jash is currently leading the Reforged against the Thalmor.” I said. “The entire Empire is fighting them again and Jash was allowed to lead his personal army. It’s been three years since the start of the Second Great War with the Thalmor. The first one lasted five years.”
I hated the hurt look Alan had on his face. It was so full of pain that I could feel it.
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