… Teeth red with blood rending what little remained of the ram's throat into nothing more than skin and gristle, the smeared dark muzzle turned and black dead eyes staring into the cheetah's horrified soul…

Ben clapped his paw over his gaping mouth and took a step back. It was as if the black cloud of death had come for him before he was ready. Sedor Valentino. The bear who had helped Cheryl Radames bring Zootopia to its knees. The monster who had gnawed Carlton Woolton's throat until there was nothing left to hold his head to his shoulders. Here, in Ben's home away from home.

But here, Sedor was no skull-faced bogeymammal chasing Ben with a pair of old bone scissors. He was dressed in black, that hadn't changed, but he appeared to have traded his trench coat for a jacket and a red shirt. His dark eyes were hard, his expression as cold as black ice. He looked less like a demon and more like the mammal in Koslov's photograph, the picture the Koslov had shown Ben when the cheetah revealed Sedor was still alive. Seeing him outside of the picture felt unreal. Ben didn't want him to be real. He'd never wanted to see his blood-spattered face again.

As Ben watched, Sedor looked both ways down the road, but the only other mammals present were the two ladies who had noticed Ben earlier. Ben's heart jolted when Sedor turned around, and he quickly spun and turned his face to the shop counter. He grabbed the counter, his paws squeezing the wood until it creaked. He stared down at the newspaper someone had left by the cash register. The headline news discussed the local festival, and to the side, President Holloway's ongoing vacation in Florada. Minutes passed. He didn't hear the bakery door open, or bullets shattering the glass window. Thank the dickens he'd left his helmet on, or the back of his head might have been recognised.

When Ben held his breath and turned to look, Sedor had turned back to the bar. He had made no move to enter, but the polar bear accompanying him was no longer there. Sedor must has sent him ahead to make sure there was no funny business. Ben pulled out his phone and pretended to tap on the screen while he kept an eye on the bear and his car. It wasn't long before the polar bear re-emerged from the bar and gave a quick nod. Sedor said some unheard words to the driver, likely an order to stay with the car. A jaguar got out the car and stood by the door, keeping a lookout while Sedor followed his other subordinate inside.

What was Sedor doing here in this tiny town? Its population numbered in the mere hundreds. It wasn't the place for rebuilding a criminal empire. Or was it? Was Sedor having a clandestine meeting, or was he just out for refreshment? Ben realised quickly that he didn't care. He had to get out. Now.

Even before he'd been infected with the madness that drove him to devour Woolton, Sedor had had a fearsome reputation. A crime boss from Tundratown who'd worked alongside Koslov to hold half the district under their thumb. The other half was under the control of Mr. Big, a shrew who commanded a small army of polar bears. When Sedor was abducted by Slothfeld, Koslov had blamed Big, triggered a turf war that tore the tundra apart. Ben had seen the inciting gunfight first hand.

"Mr. Clawhauser?"

Ben jumped and slapped a paw over his heart. He hadn't seen Mrs. Dickinson, the brown mink who ran the till, return with the paper bag carrying his order. She'd worn the same cream flannel shirt every time he visited the premises. She smiled demurely at his startled reaction. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Ben laughed a little too loudly while he clipped the straps of his helmet and handed over the money, looking at the bar every few seconds in case Sedor showed his face. He'd seen the grizzly rip a car door off its hinges, and halt an elevator's descent with his bare paws. Why here? Why now? He should have stayed in the villa with that darn alligator. In his distress he tore the paper upon picking up the bag, and he had to hold the it to his chest on his way to the door. The jaguar was still leaning against the bar window, keeping an eye out for trouble. His brown coat was open in a way that exposed the gun in his shoulder holster.

He hadn't noticed Ben. Yet.

The cheetah froze just before the door. He couldn't even bring himself to grab the handle.

"Come on, Benji." He scolded himself. He was supposed to be tougher than this. He'd promised himself he'd be tougher. But that damned bear…

Just open the door. Walk very, very casually back to the rented scooter and get out of there. Try not to give away that you recognised the bear who just entered that bar. It's that simple.

Ben opened the door. He stepped into the bright morning sunlight. The jaguar standing guard gave him a brief look and went back to watching the street. Ben forced himself to keep walking, fixing his eyes on his scooter and hoping to god that his helmet was enough to hide his identity. He reached the scooter, put the paper bag in the storage box and put the key in the ignition. Almost there…

Ben turned the throttle full blast and felt the force nearly pull him off the bike as it took off, escaping the street in seconds. The vision of Woolton kept replaying in his head, over and over and over. He didn't slow down until he was on the street going uphill toward the villa. Screw Sedor. Screw him for showing his face again.

Minutes later, Ben skidded to a stop in front of the villa. In his rush to get back to Elba he briefly forgot about the bag, getting as far as the back yard gate before running back to retrieve it from the storage box.

Elba was still in the back yard, sitting at the garden table, keeping an eye on the broken kitchen door. "Yes, it's still in there."

Ben silently placed the bag on the table and sat in the chair beside him. Elba let his cane rest against his leg while he took out his turnover. Inside the kitchen, the trespassing alligator was still as a log. Its long pale maw was agape, so as to avoid overheating due to the summer sun warming the entirety of the room. Or so Elba was explaining to Ben.

"According to Zoogle they don't have sweat glands, so they release heat through their mouths instead. Anyway, the trappers should be here soon. But I'm afraid I may have to miss the show. I don't suppose you could film it for me, could you?"

With the turnover sitting uneaten in his hoof, Elba noticed Ben's silence. "Ben?"

Ben didn't know why he was hesitating. Must be the shock, he guessed.

There was a crumpling sound as Elba put the turnover down atop the torn paper bag. "Did something happen in town?"

Go on, Benji. Say it.

"I saw Sedor."

Elba made no change in expression or posture. No doubt this was the last thing he had expected, and hadn't fully processed what his friend has just said.

Ben elaborated further. "He's here. In town. I saw him going to a bar."

"You- are you serious?" Elba softly spoke.

Ben glared daggers at Elba. "You really think I'd lie about that?"

Elba stood up sharply, his cane rapping on the sandstone paving. Ben watched as he pressed his fingers to his mouth, his eyes intense as he contemplated the news. The alligator shifted its body, its tail leaving dark stains on the cabinet doors.

"Did he see you?"

Ben feebly shook his head.

"Did. He. See you?"

Ben shook his head harder.

Elba cursed. "Have you called the police yet?"

Ben suddenly felt stupid. "No, sir."

"Good?"

"Good?"

"Sedor's been underground for over a year, Ben. There's no telling how long he's been in this area, or how much power he's accumulated. He may already have a few of the local police in his pocket."

"Oh crud."

"If we call the police, we should do it anonymously, just in case." Elba checked his watch and looked at the street beyond the gate. There was no sign of the trappers yet. "Damn it. My paperwork's still in my room."

Ben got up. "I'll get it. The door's still closed, right?"

Elba rubbed his hoof over his boss. "Alright, but be careful. And don't read anything, it's strictly confidential!"

The gator was quiet. It didn't try to break down the door, as Ben had expected it to when he sped-walked down the hallway and into Elba's bedroom. His briefcase was lying open at the foot of the bed, and the documents were neatly spread across the dressing table. A long time ago Pottermass's wife, Meredith, had dolled herself up in this very room. Ben never knew her personally, but he was sure she never would have wanted her grieving husband to hurt innocent mammals.

Ben went over to the table, most of the documents were walls of small text, and he paid them no mind as he placed them in the briefcase one stapled stack at a time. Then he found the newspaper article. There was one large picture of a busted jeep stuck in the destroyed interior of a small lobby, and below the text, an advert that was almost entirely black.

BRAITHWAITE CAR WRECK: ASININE ERROR OR SWAMP CURSE?

A car has careened through the ranger station at Braithwaite National Park.

It was a small article, cut out of the newspaper it had been printed on. Intrigued by the mention of a curse, Ben read the three paragraphs that made up the piece, assuring himself that this wasn't exactly as private as the other documents. Anyone could read this. A ranger called Sophie-Louise Donkely had been attacked while searching the Floraglades for crocodile poachers, and her injuries had caused her to lose control of her vehicle and crash into the station on her way back. Two mammals had been critically injured, aside from Ranger Donkely. The last paragraph consisted of Donkely's description of her attacker. She had been attacked from behind, so all she could recall was a pair of big blank yellow eyes.

Yellow eyes, Ben thought, his chest tightening.

Donkely had gone on to explain the cause of her losing control; she'd been bitten by the creature, and was convinced that the bite had been venomous. She'd lost full function of her limbs right before the crash. After the supposed paralysis wore off, she'd drawn a picture of what little she'd seen of the creature. The picture right below the article.

Ben had paid little attention to the second image, having mistaken it for an ad. Now he gave it a good long look, and what he saw made his skin crawl. The black colour had been scrawled in pencil, giving it a speckled appearance. Right in the centre of the image were two white pointed ovals. Pupiless eyes.

"Oh my gosh." Ben breathed.

He couldn't find when this article was written. How had Elba found this? Why did he have it?

"Ben? Is everything okay?" Elba called from outside.

"Uh, yeah! Just keeping things tidy!" Ben put the article in the briefcase along with the remaining paperwork, closed the case and carried it back down the hallway, wondering how he was going to confront Elba about this. He stopped outside his own bedroom.

Should he confront Elba about this? It wasn't like Elba was obviously doing something shady. Subject Zero was just like Sedor. Another one of Swinton's leftovers to be cleaned up. Assuming this even was Subject Zero. There were thousands of species in the Floraglades. Surely at least one of them had big pale eyes and paralytic venom.

And besides, he wanted nothing to with that monster, or Sedor. They were better left in his nightmares, where they couldn't hurt him. It wasn't his business anymore. He should forget he ever read that article.

When Ben returned to the backyard, Elba readily accepted the briefcase, leaving the remains of his turnover on the flattened paper bag. "I don't want to leave you alone with that reptile, but I really have to go. Just stay away from it and you'll be fine."

"When will you be back?"

"Tonight." Elba tapped the paper bag with his hood. "I've written down the number of the local locksmith. Call them as soon as soon as that alligator's gone, and they'll board up the door. You'll have the clean up the glass yourself."

The smile Elba gave easily raised Ben's spirits. He saluted with a cheeky grin. "I have plenty of experience in that field, sir!"

"And if anyone tries to take advantage of that broken door, you know what to do?"

"Panic room's behind the bookcase, passcode's 31415, got it."

Elba placed a gentle hoof on Ben's shoulder. "If you're still worried about… you know who… feel free to take a trip out of town. Spend the night at that resort if you want." His phone jingled, and he pulled it out. Ben spotted Bogo's name on the screen beside the text he'd sent. In the text himself, he spied Hopps's name. "But don't worry too much about him, alright? I'll take care of it."

Ben nodded. He saw Elba off in the rented black cobra convertible and returned to the garden table, keeping on eye on the Gazelle blog on his phone and the gator in the kitchen. The trappers arrived fifteen minutes later. Using a combination of ropes and brute strength, they ensnared and subdued the gator, binding its powerful jaws shut. Ben hadn't expected them to pull it off so easily. One of the trappers, a burly black bear, spared a moment to explain that the muscles required to open a gator's jaws were far weaker than the muscles used to close them.

"Where're you taking it?" Ben followed them as they carried the gator to their van.

"There's a gator farm two hours out of town. They'll treat its injuries there and release it into the wild."

"It's hurt?" Ben tilted his body to try and get a better look at the creature. He saw dark blood on its legs and tail.

"Crawling over broken glass do that." The bear said.

Ben wrung his paws. "Will it be okay?"

"He, actually. And yeah, he'll be fine."

Ben watched as they loaded the gator into the van and drove off. He let out a long whistle and called the number for the locksmith. They would be there in thirty minutes.

"Well, that's that." He wandered to the lounge, flopped down on the sofa, and turned on the television. It was a nice big flatscreen, and Nothing to Roar was already on the screen. What contraband items have those naughty tourists been sneaking across the border this time?

Ben's phone rang just as a pig's secret cigarette stash was being removed from his duffle bag. His eyes brightened when he saw who was calling. "Hey, Nick! How's quasi-freedom treating you?"

Nick sounded haggard. "Could be better. Benji, I'm sorry but I kinda need your help."