An Apocalyptic Invasion

i go mentally insane

Is this the first time I've gone insane? No.
But does that mean it doesn't suck? Absolutely not.
I didn't plan to go insane. It just happened, I guess.
Let me explain.
After I made sure Marissa was sleeping after giving her her gift, I went downstairs and to the warehouse.
The gang was now awake, and they stared at me with fear as I dragged them outside.
I put them inside the trunk and drove off to the nearest forest.
This was a cesspool for infected- Earthkin and Khrillin alike.
As I expected, there was a large amount of infected just milling about.
This was where everything... kind of went downhill.
I got the gang out of the trunk and untied their bonds.
"W-Where are you taking us?" one of the girls whimpered.
"Shut up. Just follow me."
I led them down a dirt path and turned toward them. "You see all of these infected?"
They looked around with confused expressions.
I sighed and used my hand as a torch. I swept it around. "All of these creatures will be more than happy to shred you apart. However, I'll be merciful if you tell me where you were planning to go."
"Fine."
A girl stared at the boy. "Tristan!"
"What? Does it really make a difference if I tell him?"
"Yes it does!"
Tristan crossed his arms. "Explain it to me then."
"Those people will kill us if they find out."
"Which people?"
"We're... not supposed to tell you."
"Why?"
"He's the lieutanant of a supreme gang leader they call Cyszil," the girl explained.
A shiver ran through my body, but I tilted my head. "Cyszil? Weird name."
"I think it means 'the Slayer,'" another girl piped up.
Tristan frowned at her. "Why do they call him that?"
"He's a serial killer," the girl said.
"A WHAT?"
"Kaitlyn, do you really want me to repeat that?"
She shook her head. "No, but-"
"Stella, I think my sister is just baffled by the fact a gang leader is a killer," Tristan said dryly.
"But I thought he made his minions kill." A second boy scratched his head.
"Oh, no. He kills people directly."
"Interesting," I said. "And how many men does this leader have?"
"More than a hundred," Stella replied.
"You can tell me," I said. "I can offer protection."
Kaitlyn eyed me up and down. "You?"
"I'm curious to know: what is something that you fear the most?"

Tristan stared at Carlos.
He had a mysterious smirk on his face as he asked that question.
"Um." He exchanged a glance with Ryan. "Nothing."
Carlos raised his eyebrows. "Really? Are you sure it doesn't have anything to do with family?"
Tristan gulped. "Uh... m-maybe."
"The fact that your parents yelled at each other all the time and you couldn't bear it?" he pressed.
There was a light in his eyes Tristan didn't like. "Wait. Have you been SPYING on me?"
"I don't need to." He pulled out something and began to fiddle with it, twirling it between his fingers. "You practically exude 'abusive family.'"
He turned to Ryan. "You're afraid of the ocean, aren't you? It's no wonder you don't like going to the beach."
He shifted his gaze to Stella. "How come you suffer from imposter syndrome even though you're so pretty?"
Tristan stared at her. "So you think we replaced your real friends," Ryan said slowly.
"I can't help it," she murmured. "It's stuck with me since I was a kid."
"Yes, and it's messed you up quite a bit."
"How do you know all of this?" Kaitlyn asked sharply.
"Sources have given me interesting information about the four of you," he replied.
"Your sources?" Tristan echoed.
"Let's just say we are very close, and they will do anything I tell them to."
Ryan pulled out a gun. "Tell us who they are, or I'll shoot you."
Stella grabbed his arm, but he wouldn't budge. "Do not shoot."
Tristan was surprised to see Carlos shaking a bit. "I'm warning you, Ryan. Don't you dare fire that gun."
"Maybe I will," he declared.
And before Tristan could do anything, Ryan pulled the trigger.
The bullet flew past Carlos, who threw himself to the ground and covered his head with his arms.
"What did you do?" Kaitlyn yelled. Ryan lowered the gun, staring at her. "I..."
Tristan heard giggling from Carlos as he slowly got up and faced him.
"I told you," he whispered. "I TOLD YOU, BUT YOU DIDN'T LISTEN."
He started firing shots everywhere, and Tristan yelped as a bullet almost hit his arm.
"Go!" Stella yelled.
The four of them ran, and Tristan turned. To his horror, he saw Carlos sprinting after them on all fours. His gaze was blank, but he had a wide smile that would give Tristan nightmares for the rest of his life.
They dove into bushes and waited for him to go away. Tristan tried to breathe as quietly as possible.