#Although I don't remember how often I've seen these live action sequences

[the-labyrinth-of-me]

Alan enters Zane’s room, hoping he’d find the manuscript there. But all he finds is another artist who looks exactly like him, who left his markings and traces everywhere. Ahti keeps reciting his poems, The Old Gods of Asgard use them in their songs, Hartman has one carved into the sundial at the Cauldron Lake Lodge. Zane’s spirit is everywhere. There’s a legendary movie, the „lost film“ that Ilmo and the Cult of the Word are after, and while the Cult of the Tree copies the murders of Alan’s books, the Cult of the Word (who is their leader? Scratch? Zane? Wake? All of them?) copies the ritual of Yötön Yö, the ritual that was once performed by Thomas Zane himself. It drove him into madness. He had to kill the woman he once loved, and still does. But he forgot about it. He’s on another mission now: he leads Alan on. He contacts him over the phone, tries to feed him information. About Parliament Tower, Caldera Street Station, the cinema, the hotel, about Scratch and Alice. But never too much at once. Just plain and simple steps, one after another. Alan is Zane’s biggest chance to get out. He guides Alan to the murder sites. And to his room. But he doesn’t have anything more to offer, at least nothing Alan’s interested in. The only thing he can offer is the truth.

The truth about Alan.

He tries, but Alan either refuses or is unable to understand. Zane’s too far gone, too far down the spiral to explain it better.

Alan, at one point, realised that his constant changes of Return continued to kill people by the dozen. He couldn’t change it to stay consistent with the genre. But he felt bad about it. Simultaneously, Zane found himself stuck. That was unacceptable. He guided Alan to his room, and he knew exactly who he was. That Alan had anger issues, problems with addiction. What Zane needed was Scratch. Scratch didn’t care about casualties. Scratch embraced the horror, the terror. It aligned with Zane’s movie Yötön Yö. Zane was aware of the spiral. He knew the rumors about Alan Wake. Of course he did. It’s all from him, part of the plan. Zane knew how to awaken Alan’s dark side. He made Alan drunk, high, and Alan got unhinged, lost control. Scratch took over. He promised to write. He promised Zane would leave together with him. But Zane underestimated Scratch and his cruelty. Scratch left Zane behind, betrayed him. Zane needed another plan. He knew that Alan would loop back to him.

Zane let everything happen again, but this time made a film, the true companion piece to Return. Alan drunk, high, out of it. Talking rubbish, throwing up, dancing. Scratch. Zane needed to confront Alan about Scratch. He needed Alan to defeat Scratch another time. He planned to confront Alan about this on his next loop, but the Dark Presence interfered. It made Alan forget. The Film confused him more than anything else. Another visit to room 665 was needed .

And Alan came. But Zane couldn’t risk that Scratch would take over again. He tied Alan to a chair. But Alan made progress. Gained power. He managed to fight back, changed places with Zane who was now sitting tied up in the chair. Zane was in shock. His plan failed another time. And many times after. But he needed to guide Alan to the next murder site in the cinema. He cut out the part of the film that wasn’t strictly necessary. He cut out the bit in which Alan, with his back against the wall because Zane had seemingly betrayed him, got angry. They fought. Alan lost trust in Zane and hit him across the face. Zane spat blood. But he didn’t give up. He couldn’t. Scratch was almost back. Alan almost lost control again. A sacrifice was needed. The story demanded a price to be paid. And Zane would pay it.

He made Alan angry on purpose. Alan drew his gun, pointed it at Zane. Zane carefully tried to show him the truth again, about Scratch. But he had to be vague about it, so the Dark Presence wouldn’t be able to interfere. Alan would get it eventually on his way to ascension.

Alan shot Zane, many many times, loop after loop after loop. Zane knew he’d be back until Alan would travel upwards on the spiral. He knew he would have to die countless times, by the hands of his other self. It was the dark sacrifice he chose to make. He was both dead and alive. Dead because the story of Initiation demanded it. Alive because it was just one of his many versions who died. There was always another Tom Zane on the spiral. He knew about it. He told Alan about it when he was drunk, before Scratch showed up. Countless times. Until Alan would remember it.

Zane hid the movie ticket in his shirt pocket, to give Alan access to the final murder site. He had been trying to help Alan all along, as best as he could, but without interfering with the story. Without selling them both out to the Dark Presence. It was necessary that Alan would kill himself in the Writer’s Room again and again. Until he got the story right. Until he got the ending right. And to make sure that Scratch wouldn’t leave without him. He had to make these sacrifices , had to make Alan make these constant changes, until the story was just right. He had to sacrifice himself for the greater good, same as Alice. He didn’t know if it all would work out the way he hoped, but he couldn’t afford to not try it. He spiraled downwards while Alan ascended, continued to lose himself, pieces of who he once was, while Alan gained completion. They needed to be in perfect balance to slay the demon that was Scratch.