The Viral Underclass Novels & Stories

But he remained calm. “The hierarchy is simple. The ones with more money get to rule over the poor ones. And it’s just funny to me because even with all the money a wealthy man can acquire, he’s not strong enough to protect himself at all, and he believes he deserves to rule? How pathetic.” Kaelithar continued. “I’ve had to study you people for a long time, and it just surprises me. There’s nothing special about you weak humans.

So as far as things go, this kid was at least trying. “Hmm?” she finally said through her moisturized chapsticked lips. “Where would you like us to start?” She didn’t give a fuck. Did it matter? It was all going to end up on the truck anyways. What they should really say is, “I know you don’t even want to do this. You’re about to have two teenage boys and a man who perspires profusely pack all your belongings and shove them in a box like they never meant anything to you.” That is what they should say. Fact is, it’s just a job to them. They don’t care if your couch makes it still upholstered. Or if that lopsided clay ashtray your oldest made you eight years ago breaks. Their job is to

I turned and walked away, my heels striking the stone floor. “Remember this. Whoever I choose to lift can become an underboss. Whoever I choose to destroy can only end up as trash.”

Instead, we were descending into a lightless maze of concrete and damp earth. Havenfall above was all glass and silver, a testament to modern engineering. But this place—this was a wound. The air smelled of old grease, mold, and unwashed bodies. "The Undercity," Madeline explained, her voice echoing off the dripping walls. She didn't look disgusted; she looked proud. "The Cocolink hierarchy keeps things clean. The bottom-feeders, the debt-ridden, the collateral—they stay down here in the old foundations. The elites stay in the light. No friction, no messy run-ins. It’s organized."

While the Sovereign Valley celebrated the unification of the "Glitched" and the "Originals," a cold shadow was lengthening in the deep sectors of the Old Macro-verse. In the abandoned data-fortresses that the Architects had left behind, a movement was brewing among the "Hard-Code Purists"—remnants of the High Council’s middle management who viewed the new, open-source reality not as freedom, but as a Terminal Virus.

Mason, "Those whom you underestimate may very well be the wisest among you." So, I make my way back to my seat, and it's like I've got a fan club following me. The whispers of admiration are impossible to miss. When I first stumbled into this class—back then, I was a total jerk, a vampire straight out of the Renaissance who didn't know a thing about the modern world.

Because if we didn’t, we would drown in misery. I am Maiveline Underwood. People call me Maive. I am the daughter of Christopher Underwood, a man the whole town whispers about. They say he’s dangerous. They say he’s cursed. But I know him—he’s not. He’s just a father who loves his children. People also say my mother, Velaia, was a witch. I refuse to believe them. To me, she was just Mom. The one who should have been here. The one we desperately needed.

The steel presses into my skin, a silent reminder of the kind of man I swore I’d never be again. But Mikhail has a way of dragging old ghosts out of their graves. The streets above were still pulsing when I reached the edge of the lower district, the part of Manhattan no one talks about, where the city’s veins run black. The regulars call it “The Underside.” It’s where deals are made that never reach the boardrooms, where debtors disappear, and where men like Mikhail reign like gods. I parked in an alley that smelled of rust and rain-soaked garbage.

Gracie probbed, a bored expression on her face. “Tchh! Both cousins are the same”. “I've been able to figure out the exact virus used on the car”. “And?” Kate gaped at Alexander. They had surprised expressions on their faces except Charles who seemed unfazed by the new information. “And as I suspected it's banned, you can only find it in the underworld”. “The underworld?”. “It's a place where everything illegal is legal”, Gracie explained. “Yup, human trafficking, selling human body parts, whatever banned goods you're looking for you'll find it there, missiles, guns, tech gadgets, you name it. It's a whole civilization of illegality”, Alexander added.

Leo squeezed his jaw, a trembling muscle in his chin by the sudden gesture. "I told you, Tasha. Those bastards only think about money. I doubt that if you catch the disease, they will offer any help. "I said harshly, referring to the virus that stopped the world that year. "You know the trend is just getting worse, don't you? No one will want to keep working there. The few who stay will be overwhelmed, because they want to lighten the pain in the ass. And try getting sick so you can see if they're going to help with anything.”