This collection of excerpts introduces Jack, Gia, and Vicky as they visit the Ozymandias Prather Oddity Emporium, a traveling "freak show." Vicky becomes terrified upon seeing what she believes to be a rakosh, a dangerous creature from her past, which Jack later confirms is Scar-lip, a specific rakosh he thought he had killed. After discovering the creature is being mistreated by the carny workers and recognizing its weakened state, Jack initially plans to humanely kill it, but is interrupted. Later, he finds the rakosh has been restored to full strength by the show's owner, Prather, who is now aware of its true nature and intentionally feeding it living beings to maintain its power. Jack pursues the escaped Scar-lip into the Pine Barrens, where he encounters and inadvertently saves it from a vengeful former carny, Hank, and eventually leaves it to roam free, knowing it is a dangerous new predator in the wilderness.