My friend and I found something in the woods. At first, we thought we were gods. But now I think we're pawns in the scheme of something even greater.

Everything?s gone to ****. I don?t even know what happened and I still can?t get the bloodstains out of my clothes. It feels like my life is a nightmare. God dammit. I never should have gone into the woods that night. I never should have touched that damned rock.
That, of course, makes no sense to you right now. So, I?ll have to go back to the beginning.
It started when my roommate Kyle and I were hanging out in our dorm. We had been best friends since first grade and decided to go to college together. We were a semester into our freshman year, and everything seemed to be going great. One of the first things that drew Kyle and me together was our mutual love for horror. We both loved all things that involved the dark and terrifying aspects of life: Stephen King, Lovecraft, horror movies and even games. If it was even remotely related to horrific content, then we probably loved it.
That night, we were watching Hereditary, a recent favorite of ours. It was probably the fourth time we?d seen it, but it didn?t matter. We loved it and enjoyed theorizing about what made it so horrifying. However, we were bored. After all, you can only see a movie so many times before it begins to lose its effect on you, especially when it comes to horror movies.
So, we found ourselves playing with our phones more than actually watching the TV. I was in the middle of some Galaga-esque game on my phone when Kyle suddenly spoke up.
?Let?s do something,? he said from his place on the bed.
?Like what? It?s midnight on a Tuesday. There?s nothing to do.?
He shot me the mischievous grin that I knew so well. ?I have something in mind.?
I sat my phone down and stared at him, waiting for him to continue. I didn?t like that look on his face. It meant he was about to propose something tremendously stupid. But, then again, perhaps something stupid was exactly what we needed to escape the endless cycle of boredom that had pervaded the first few weeks of this semester. ?Go on,? I prompted.
?Let?s go into the forest,? Kyle said.
I raised an eyebrow. ?That?s a much tamer suggestion than I expected.?
?Don?t act like you haven?t heard the campus legends. Supposedly, there?s nothing tame about that forest.?
I shrugged. I had heard the legends he was referring to. We went to a small university in the south, tucked into a cluster of trees and liquor stores. A massive forest sat just beyond our dorm building, and it was home to countless campus legends. Some claimed that it was haunted by the ghosts of students who killed themselves there, while others purported that unholy creatures roamed it in the darkness. ?So you?re proposing we go on a nice little stroll through the woods??
He wagged his finger patronizingly. ?Of course not, my dear friend. Have you mistaken me for the kind of person who goes on nice little strolls?? He grinned at me. ?We?re going to go out there with the goal of scaring the **** out of ourselves. No phones. No lights. Just us in the darkness.?
I considered his proposition. Part of me was worried that we?d end up getting hurt, though I knew Kyle hadn?t considered that possibility. I had always been the more cautious one. Additionally, students weren?t supposed to wander the forest at night. Our school administration?s ban on entering the woods was probably why so many rumors about it had sprung up. Frankly, I figured they just didn?t want countless students wandering into the forest to smoke weed, but others claimed there was a more sinister reason. I guess there was no time better than the present to find out. I shrugged. ?Alright, let?s go.?
Kyle grinned at my response and sprang out of bed, pulling on his shoes and coat. I followed suit, putting on several layers to keep out the cold. It was absolutely freezing outside, and I didn?t relish the prospect of getting sick from this little endeavor. Once I was dressed, we headed to the forest.
The woods were creepy. A strange aura hung about them, one that seemed to be more than just my imagination. I tried to convince myself that it was just because of all the urban legends I?d heard, but I still couldn?t quite shake the feeling.
We delved deeper and deeper into the forest, becoming progressively more scared as we went. Kyle and I traded horrifying stories that we?d heard from other students then began to make up our own as we walked around. We went back and forth, coming up with more and more horrible events that might happen in these woods. By that time our bodies were on high-alert and we jumped at every little sound then laughed at ourselves for being so scared.
But then something unexpected happened. The forest was dark, but there was still a degree of visibility, as it was illuminated by a full moon. We were at least able to make out our surroundings. However, we noticed an eerie luminescence in the distance, a strange green light that silhouetted the trees in front of us. Curious, we carefully made our way toward it.
?Holy ****,? Kyle said under his breath as we broke into a clearing.
We stood in front of a stream, and beside it was a massive rock lodged into the earth. It was about as tall as I was and twice as wide. What appeared to be moss covered it, but the strange substance gave off an unnerving luminescence and cast the surrounding area in a sickly green glow.
Even more strangely, thick, root-like tendrils grew from the base of the rock and led into the stream. They too pulsed with a strange green light.
?What is it?? I asked.
?A rock,? Kyle responded.
I shot him an annoyed look. ?No ****. But what is it??
He shrugged. ?I dunno. Touch it.?
I recoiled away from the strange rock. ?Like hell I?m touching that thing. We have no idea what?s making it glow.?
?Oh, stop being a *****.?
I shook my head. ?I?m not doing it.?
He approached the rock and placed his hand near it, hovering just a few inches over the eerie, luminescent surface. ?I?ll touch it, but if I do then you have to as well.?
I sighed and glared at him. ?Fine,? I said, not wanting to look like a coward.
He shot me a satisfied grin then placed his palm on the surface. Suddenly, he went stock still and stared at the rock with wide eyes. Then he began to shake, terrible choking sounds emanating from his throat. I rushed forward to help him when he pulled away and began laughing maniacally.
?I got you!? He shouted, doubling over and pointing at me as he continued to laugh. I stared at him with a combination of relief and annoyance. Suddenly his face became serious and he stood up straight. ?Seriously though, you should touch it. It feels strange, like all tingly.?
Part of me still didn?t want to touch it, but I could tell he wasn?t trying to trick me. Stepping forward, I placed my hand on the stone.
He was right. It felt like there was a small electric current running from it and into my body. I felt it run up my arm, through my torso, and finally down my legs. Even stranger, the stone was warm despite the cold weather. It felt as if it had been sitting in the hot summer sun for hours.
?Woah that?s weird.?
?I know, right?? Kyle laughed at the strange sensation. ?I wonder what causes it.?
?No idea.? I shrugged. The feeling emanating from the stone was actually kind of pleasant. It made my body feel warm. I pulled my hand away and suddenly felt cold again, battered by a chilly breeze. ?We should get going,? I said.
Kyle?s face fell, but he knew that I was right. We?d been outside for a while and we both had class in the morning. We shouldn?t have even been up this late in the first place. He nodded and reluctantly pulled his hand away from the stone.
We began to walk back through the woods, carefully stepping over roots to avoid falling. We strolled in silence, both of us seemingly lost in thoughts about the stone.
?I should tell Carrie about this,? Kyle said.
I slowed down and glanced at him. Carrie was his girlfriend. For some reason, I didn?t like the idea of other people knowing about the stone. I felt oddly protective about it, as if it was a discovery that belonged wholly to Kyle and me. ?I don?t think that?s a good idea,? I said.
Kyle stopped in his tracks. ?What?s not a good idea??
?Telling Carrie about the rock.?
?I never said I would.?
?Yes, you did. You just said it.?
Kyle seemed taken aback. ?I haven?t said anything the whole time we were walking.?
Great, I thought. Kyle was trying to trick me again. I was sick of him always acting like a clown.
?I?m not acting like a clown,? he said suddenly. I stopped and stared at him wide-eyed.
?What??
?You just said I was acting like a clown.?
?Kyle, I didn?t say anything.?
We stopped and stared at each other for a moment, a small suspicion taking root within both of our minds. Can you hear me? I thought, more out of humor than anything else.
?Yeah, I can,? Kyle said out loud.
?Holy ****,? I said, taking a few steps back.
Holy **** is right. Kyle?s mouth didn?t move this time. I gasped as I heard his thoughts as if spoken aloud.
We fell to silence after that, or at least as silent as we could get with each of our thoughts being broadcast to the other. It was strange hearing his thoughts, like hearing someone mumble an incomprehensible stream of disjointed phrases.
Once we got back to the dorm, we sat down and tried to figure out what was going on. It didn?t seem like every thought that ran through our minds was being transmitted to the other person. Our minds are constantly running on a default network of thoughts and feelings that flow through our minds with no real awareness of them. It was only the conscious and intentional thoughts that seemed audible.
It took us a while to come to terms with our new abilities. We constantly found ourselves questioning whether it was all a dream or some kind of delusion brought on by contact with that rock. After all, it seemed we could only communicate telepathically with one another. Perhaps we were both insane.
However, one day while walking on campus I heard a sudden rush of noise, as if a thousand people were whispering at once. The sound surprised me, but I quickly understood it for what it was. I could hear other people?s thoughts now as well. They were fainter, but certainly there, and after a period of time they became easily discernible. Kyle described the same experience and soon learned to control his ability as well.
We used our telepathic abilities for all kinds of stupid little things: cheating on tests, figuring out if girls liked us, and messing with people we didn?t like. At first it was fun, but then it became something more. We felt like gods among the other students. Everyone?s thoughts and emotions were laid out before us like a map, and we could navigate them as we wished. Everything became so much easier. Everything went our way.
One day Kyle approached me with a serious look on his face. I need to talk to you about something.
Lately we?d begun only speaking telepathically unless we were in a conversation with other people. What?s up?
I don?t think we?re using our powers to their full capacity.
I frowned at that. What are you suggesting?
I?m sure you?ve noticed that the more we use our powers, the stronger they seem to get. They can be trained, and I doubt we?re anywhere near their limit. We should start intentionally training them, like going to the gym,
I thought about what he?d suggested and decided it was a good idea. After all, who wouldn?t want more power? Maybe we could do more than just communicate telepathically.
We began with a simple exercise. I would try to read Kyle?s mind while he did his best to protect his thoughts. We weren?t experienced with trying to keep other people out of our heads, as we?d never had a need to do so, but it seemed to come naturally enough. It was like putting a wall around your thoughts, sheltering it in the center of your mind where even a telepath can?t get to it.
We never put all of our power into it. Our training was always the mental equivalent of lifting light weights for a lot of reps. However, one day Kyle said he wanted to take it up a notch.
I?m going to try as hard as I can to keep you out of my head. I want you to focus all of your power on getting to the thought that I?m trying to hide. We?ll see who?s stronger.
I was immediately up for the challenge. Kyle and I had always been competitive, and this was just another opportunity to prove my superiority. Let?s do it.
Kyle?s brow furrowed as he immediately began focusing on defending his thoughts. I gave him a moment to prepare, then came at him with full force. I sent my mind out, like tendrils extending from my skull, reaching for the thought within Kyle. However, they suddenly came to a dead stop.
I pushed harder, desperate to show that my powers were stronger than his. Still, I couldn?t get to it. For a moment, I thought that Kyle had truly managed to make his mind impenetrable. I focused harder, pouring all of my energy into scooping the thought from his mind. I saw his face going red as he focused even more intently, reinforcing the barrier that he had put up.
Suddenly irritated, I concentrated even more, imagining the tendrils tearing into his skull and jerking the thought loose from his mind. I gritted my teeth, pushing harder and harder. Kyle?s face grew even more red and his eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets. His mouth started moving, as if trying to say something. Part of me thought he was telling me to stop. But I was desperate to prove myself and just kept going.
Then, with a disgusting, wet sound, his skull popped. Not in some metaphorical sense, but literally popped like a balloon, blood and brain matter spewing in every direction. It covered my face, casting my vision in a crimson hue as I watched his body slump to the floor. Blood spewed from the ragged, bowl-like cavity that had once been Kyle?s head. The image of a broken lightbulb flashed into my mind.
I staggered away in horror, tripping over a pile of clothes and landing hard on the floor. I had killed him.
And now I find myself here, writing this. I don?t know why I?m doing so. I suppose writing has always been my release. I?m terrified right now. I don?t know what to do with the body or how to get rid of all that ****ing blood. I don?t think the full realization of what I?ve done has even set in yet, but I?m already shaking with horror.
But there?s another reason I?m writing this post. I need help. Not with the body. No, this is all my responsibility. There?s something else happening here ? something to do with that mossy stone. Ever since killing Kyle, it?s as if my mind has expanded. My power has grown, and now I feel something gnawing at the fringes of my consciousness, a voice that?s whispering something.
I can?t quite make it out, but it?s saying something about a king and about a god. I think I heard the word destiny at some point too. It?s been growing steadily louder, but as it does so I feel myself losing awareness of my surroundings and falling into the gentle lull of that voice. I?m not sure what?s happening.
Please, if anyone knows anything, let me know ASAP. I?m desperate for any help I can get.


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