Chapter 5: New Beginning

Theo sits in the passenger seat of Chief Yore's personal car. Not a police car. He was disappointed. He was hoping to see the interior of a police car and geek out over the controls. Of course, that wasn't allowed.

Also, the chief made Theo duct tape his head to his neck again; that way, any random pedestrian wouldn't see a headless body sitting in the passenger seat and freak out. Did Theo mention how itchy duct tape is when left on for an extended period of time?

Yes, the entirety of the human race now lives in the giant cavern where Undercity was built, but it is massive. With all the side tunnels winding this way and that, it can take up to a day to drive from one end of Undercity to the other, which is apparently what they are currently doing.

Theo imagines that due to its size, Undercity would have been considered a state or perhaps even a nation in the past. But now, people need a sense of unity, and what better way to do that than to force the last remnants of the human race to live together under one stone roof in the guise of a city-state?

He's not bitter. Definitely not. If someone thinks he is, he will simply say that he is going to beat the crap out of the first mythical creature he encounters, even if he dies trying.

Chief Yore clears his throat, sensing Theo's displeasure. "Theo, how are you feeling? I bet you're nervous."

Theo can't turn his head when it's duct taped to his neck, so instead, he gives the chief the side eyes. "Tired. I've been awake since 11pm last night. It's currently after 9pm."

"Hmm. Take a nap then, I'll wake you when we get to the camp." the older man says.

Theo h-rumphs in frustration. "You try sleeping when your neck is duct taped like a mummy and itchy as heck."

Chief Yore briefly glanced at Theo, noticing the redness along the edges of the duct tape peeking out from under the hoodie. "Sorry, I didn't realize it was that uncomfortable. We're in a tunnel that solely belongs to the military. What happens here stays here. You can take it off now."

Theo eargarly begins ripping the tape off, not hesitating for a moment. Relief washes through him at the sensation of cool air on his neck, and he allows his head to plop onto his lap. "You have no idea how good this feels."

The chief chuckles, "You're right, I've never been decapitated before, so I have no need to put duct tape on my neck."

Theo h-rumphs again. "Lucky."

"It's more like normal, kid." The chief grinned cheekily. Now, take a nap."

Theo snorts and allows himself to relax. A few minutes later, he is out cold, in a dreamless sleep.

—----------------------------

"Hey, kid. We're here." A gentle shake to Theo's shoulder wakes him up.

Upon opening his eyes, Theo is disoriented for a moment. He finds himself looking at a pair of familiar pale green sneakers, and in his sleepy state, it takes him a moment to realize that his head is on the floor of the car by his feet.

"Darn. Why is my vision like this?" Theo grumbles. He slowly reaches down to pick his head up. Once he has it in his hands, his vision swaps back to what he is used to.

Chief Yore is already getting out of the car. "Take your time, kid. I'm going to go talk to the Director of the camp."

Theo grunts in confirmation and makes no move to exit the vehicle, still waiting for the fog of sleep to dissipate.

After a few minutes, he looks over at the chief and sees him standing with a woman with shockingly ginger hair tied up in a messy bun. Her composure makes her intimidating despite her short stature. The top of her head comes up to the middle of the chief's torso.

He can't hear what the chief is saying to the woman, but he sees her arch an eyebrow at something, a serious look on her face. Concerned, Theo decides to introduce himself and find out what's happening.

With a firm grip on his head, Theo climbs out of the car and walks over. Both the chief and the woman look over at him with very different expressions on their faces. Chief Yore is beaming at him while rubbing his forearm nervously. The woman examines him sternly, not flinching in the slightest at the sight of a person carrying their own head. From this, Theo concludes that the chief has already explained his circumstances.

"So you're Theo. Welcome to my camp. I am Director Young." She says. Her voice is unlike anything that Theo has ever heard; it is smooth and quiet yet conveys the expectation of being shown absolute respect by those she addresses.

Theo shudders slightly, understanding the chief's nervous energy now. "Hello, Director."

Director Young turns back to Chief Yore and continues. "I will handle things from here. I'm sure you need to get back to the central part of the city to continue your duties."

"Thank you, Director. Please go easy on Theo. He's been through a lot in the past couple of days." The chief requests while also starting to back up toward his car. "Theo, Director Young is an excellent person. Listen to her well."

Theo nods in understanding, regretting that Chief Yore is already leaving. He is unsure if he is ready for what is in store for him at this camp.

"First order of business, I want to figure out what kind of potential you have as someone who has gained the abilities of a dullahan." Director Young immediately launches into her routine for acclimating rookies to the camp. "I understand this is all overwhelming for you, but the quicker you understand what you are capable of, the faster you will adapt and learn. That is the core principle under which this camp operates. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

"Yes, ma'am," Theo replies, as he rushes to follow the Director who took off walking in an unknown direction without any warning.

She leads him to a large building with several rooms. "This is our examination building. It has several tools inside that assess your current level of abilities. We will be using these tools today."

As she walks through the sliding doors to the building, a group of people hurry off upon seeing her. Apparently, Theo's impression of her is better than theirs because they seem terrified of her. Theo gulps, suddenly feeling a lot more tense than before.