Outside.

You know I often thought about the most random things! Living as long as I have I figured I would expect just about anything to happen! Hell, I've even seen a shark with human hands eating a cheeseburger before!

Don't ask, trust me.

I've lived through literal legends and mythologies and yet I never expected to see a simple wizard accomplish more things then even gods!

Here I was standing in the rain outside of the most inconspicuous house in Chicago looking for one of the most powerful mortals ever. I let out a wisp of will to the basement where he usually spends his time and waited. After thirty seconds, I was confused. He usually came out pretty quickly if he thought he was being attacked… I walked to the door and knocked. A light turned on and a man came out pointing a shotgun at me! I rose my hands quickly.

"Hey, hey! Woah!" I said in fright.

What? It'll still hurt, dammit!

"Watchu want?" He asked in a firm voice.

"Uh… is harry around? I thought this was his address?"

"That wizard fella? He been gone for two years."

"I… see…" I tilted my head up in thought before looking at him again. "I apologize for taking up your time, then. Do you know where I can find him?"

"Not a clue."

"Alright. Sorry, again." He nodded at my words and shut the door.

*He moved? That's not like him…*

I started to walk back to my car and as I opened my door I was grabbed from behind.

"What do you want with Dresden?" A man's voice said behind me as he held me in a choke hold. Vampire!

If it was a vampire I wouldn't have enough time to do much. Willing took time after all. He would feel the magic and immediately snap my neck!

"Uh… I had a job for him, actually…" I choked out.

He increased the pressure around my neck before speaking. "Job, huh? He doesn't take jobs anymore."

"He'll take this one!" I yelled in a hoarse voice.

"Hmph. We'll see." I felt pain in the back of my head before I blacked out- again.

I groaned as I awoke. I heard voices in a different room. My eyes were hazy as I blinked rapidly to clear them. I tried to move my hand up to rub them but I realized I was tied to a wooden chair with rope. I quickly took a look at my surroundings and noticed I was in a basement with a single, steel door. I took a deep breath and sneezed.

*gods this place smells like iron and dust.* I thought.

"I don't know, harry!" The vampire? He was speaking to Dresden?

"Awesome! So you just grab some random 'normal' off the street that was looking for me and kidnap him! Real good idea, Thomas! Maybe we should get some more while we're at it!"

"Yeah, real smart. Hey harry, can I arrest your dumbass brother?" A woman's voice this time.

"Hell's bells Murph! I might just let you!" Harry's voice grew closer.

"You have the right to remain silent!" The woman's voice echoed again in mockery.

"Don't actually do that, Murphy…" Harry said as he opened the door. I raised my head and his eyes widened before darkening dangerously.

"…What are you doing here." He said in an angry voice.

Thomas walked through the door as well with raised eyebrows. "So you know this guy?"

"Yeah. He tried to kill me a couple of times." He said through grit teeth.

"Come on, Dresden! You know it was just business! 'Sides you were doing some dumb shit and you know it!" I said matter of fact.

"And yet I still dislike it when people try to kill me."

I grunted. He had a point! I don't much like it either.

"Well this time," I began. "It's for a different kind of business. I got a job for you."

"No. Nope. Nein. Niet." He said. "Not happening."

I grit my teeth in frustration. "Favor."

"What? Speak up! I couldn't hear you through all of that begging!" He said with a sly grin.

"Fuck! I'll owe you a favor! Anything you want! One time only!"

Dresden grinned. "I want a contract."

I sighed. He wanted a magical contract. "I, Birger Age, Herby enter contract with," I looked him in his eyes. "Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden." He shivered as I called his true name. "Upon completion of the job indicated, I will be subject to one favor to him. Failure to complete said favor, no matter the task, will be a violation of the contract."

"So your name is 'Birger Age.' It's fitting." He said. "How'd you know my full name?"

I winked at him with my red eye. "Pretty little thing knows more than Metatron."

He huffed and leaned against the wall. "What's the job?"

"I need all the info of more than a hundred families in the last year. All of them consisted of a mother, father, and newborn child. Look for the ones that were killed within four months of the child being born."

He sneered at me in disgust. "Why would you need that?"

I sighed. "I have a… personal involvement with one of the families. It seems like some kind of cult is killing them. I don't know the details but it's getting worse. I'll introduce you to the other guys that are on this so they can fill you in."

"Some major bad mojo it seems like." Harry said.

"Fuck off." I mumbled. "We got a deal?"

"Sure. Just let me take care of some stuff and I'll get right on it."

"No. Now. What do you need done?"

He laughed. "Not much you can do. He Who Walks Behind is still on the loose. Trying to get him on the island so I can lock him up. Too dangerous working on anything else at the moment with an Outsider out for me!"

"Easy!" I all but shouted as I snapped my fingers.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU IDIOT?!" Dresden shouted as he felt magic permeate the air. It was almost suffocating! I felt an abnormal presence as a tear opened.

"I'm telling him to come!" I grinned at Dresden and Thomas who both paled.

You know that metaphorical question about the snail who follows you and if it touches you, you die? He Who Walks Behind is the origin of said snail. Only, it turns out you don't get a million dollars and it is anything but slow.

He Who Walks Behind is an Outsider. Now, the Outsiders are not gods or anything of the sort. They are more like the 'foot soldiers' of the Old Ones. As far as I know Outsiders cannot be killed, but they can be banished! One thing you must know is that Outsiders cannot just waltz into our reality, they have to be summoned by someone.

You know Cthulhu? He is what people have started to call an 'Old One.' The term refers to being that were around before even God himself! They were banished after the last battle during the Time of Gods. I myself am 'technically' an Old One, but I don't like being put in the same group as those ugly bastards. Cthulhu is the only one who isn't evil. He is actually a pretty chill dude if it wasn't for his psychotic followers wanting to give him 'gifts' which usually involves an invitation to some kind of smut, blood orgy. Last time I met him he was in some kind of facility with 'SCP' plastered on the walls.

Now, The Outside is simpler to explain than you think. Imagine this: the universe, reality, existence, anything you can see ever? They were thrown 'outside' of it. It's a completely different reality!

Outsiders are immune to most forms of magic. It's hard to scare them, to hurt them, or kill them. They are insanely violent, insanely powerful, and just plain insane. The only way to banish them is to 'Will' them back.

I'm honestly surprised that he's even still alive with that thing following him. Hell if I had to fight one on equal grounds even I wouldn't survive! As far as I know only two Outsiders are in our reality right now; The Sleeper and He Who Walks Behind.

How powerful are Outsiders, you ask? Take The Sleeper, for example. Think of him as someone that can put to sleep absolutely every mortal and almost every being short of a god, walk up to them and slit their throat. That is immensely powerful, right? Right.

And, oh yeah! I just summoned one!

"Greetings, One Older Than Us." The sound of it's voice was akin to fingernails grinding on a chalkboard. It's figure was like a shadow, all black with no features.

"Greetings, He Who Walks Behind." I said in a serious tone. "Cthulhu owes me a favor so I'm calling it in."

"I obey the Old One's order. You speak truth, thus I must oblige."

I released a breath. Thanks Cthu!

I looked at Dresden. "The island, or Outside?"

"Island." He said in a shaky voice.

"Alright." I said as I turned back to the Outsider. "Go to an island within the Great Lakes. You will know. Surrender yourself to it's clutches and we will be even. The debt, paid."

It growled at me. It sounded like metal scraping across metal as it spoke. "I will come back! If not for the cursed debt I would have torn you apart! I will oblige, but watch your back, One Older Than Us, for I will be behind it." It stepped out of the doorway while knocking Thomas and Dresden back.

"There." I said in a firm tone that didn't convey my terror. "Good enough, right?"

"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!" Thomas yelled and it echoed in the basement.

The woman- Murphy, I assumed- came running down the stairs. She had a gun unholstered and pointed it around the room for a moment before slowly lowering it. She looked at Dresden awkwardly.

"Uh… did I imagine Thomas screaming bloody murder?" She asked.

Dresden cleared his throat before he spoke. "No… you didn't. Honestly if he hadn't, I would have."

"Harry, who the FUCK is this guy?" Thomas all but shouted. "He actually said Cthulhu owed him a favor and that thing BOUGHT IT?"

"Woah, woah!" I said in an offended tone. "Cthulhu DID owe me a favor. And I'll have you know he's a pretty nice guy! Better than some of you vampires I know!"

"Can you just… shut up for a second?" Dresden said sullenly as he put his head in his hand. "What the hell did you do for Cthulhu to owe you a favor?"

"Some Slavic god named Chernobog was trying to hunt him for sport, so I helped him out by sending him to some facility that was designed for people like him. Something about security, protecting, and containing. Anyway, he told me he owed me one so I simply took it to heart!"

"And 'One Older Than Us?'"

"Yeah, I never understood their naming sense either. Quite literal, by the way."

"You know what? I'm not even gonna ask! Yeah I'll take the freaking job! Who do I need to meet with?"

"Well, can you untie me so I can call him?"

"Untie you? You just made a fucking OUTSIDER your BITCH and you want us to UNTIE YOU?!" Thomas yelled.

I turned to Dresden. "Is he always like this?"

"Do you always call in favors from Lovecraftian cosmic entities that compare with God himself?"

"Fair point."

Dresden walked behind my chair and cut my hands free. I stood up and stretched as before grabbing my phone. I tilted my head in silence for a moment.

"Did I not… shit." I called Isaiah. "Hey, is James there?"

"James? No he dropped me off at the pack house." Pack house was what werewolves took to calling their land. Him being the king of werewolves it was quite large.

My eye twitched. "Do you have his number?"

"Nah, man, but I can call Russo and get it for ya."

"Do that. Thanks."

"Alright. Remember, you still have to meet my family before you leave! Later!"

"Yeah, yeah… bye." I hung up and turned to Dresden with an awkward grin. "It, uh… might take a bit."