Intent: A Short Story

Name: Intent: A Short Story
Price: 7.99 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9781723449222

✍️ Jeff Olah

Reader Score

4.4

(1 review)

$7.99

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📚 WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT

A psychological thriller about a man planning murder while battling severe mental illness.

The story follows Travis Higgins as he approaches a violent breaking point. Suffering from PTSD and OCD, he has isolated himself for weeks. The voices in his head have grown louder over twelve months. He plans to kill the resident at nineteen-thirty-seven east Second Street. The narrative unfolds through a phone call to emergency services. Travis announces his name and the time of the intended crime. This structure creates immediate tension. The story does not rely on external monsters or supernatural forces. It focuses entirely on the internal logic of a disturbed mind. Olah uses this confined setting to explore how trauma can lead to catastrophic actions. The prose remains tight and focused on Travis’s deteriorating state.

Key Themes

post-traumatic stress obsessive-compulsive disorder psychological horror

Literary Context

Jeff Olah is a USA Today Bestselling Author known for the post-apocalyptic genre. This short story was published in 2015 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. It reflects a trend in modern horror focusing on internal psychological threats rather than external supernatural ones.

Difficulty

●● Medium

Recommended For Fans Of

Thomas Harris · Dennis Lehane · Tana French · Gillian Flynn

☣️

Apocalyptic

🏛 Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 📅 2015 📖 46 pages 🌐 English 📔 Paperback ISBN: 9781723449222

📝 Description: Intent: A Short Story

Jeff Olah delivers a tense psychological portrait in Intent, a short story that examines the volatile intersection of trauma and mental illness. The narrative centers on Travis Higgins, a man unraveling under the weight of post-traumatic stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He has not slept or eaten in two days and has isolated himself from human contact for weeks. The voices in his head have been screaming for twelve months, driving him toward a catastrophic breaking point. Olah is recognized as a leading voice in the post-apocalyptic genre, known for action scenes and characters fighting for survival. This work shifts focus to internal survival, tracing Travis’s descent into violence. The story builds toward a chilling climax where Travis calls emergency services to announce his intent to murder a specific neighbor. The narrative structure relies on this single, terrifying phone call to reveal the depth of his deterioration. This book suits readers who enjoy character-driven horror and psychological thrillers that explore the fragility of the mind. It may not appeal to those seeking traditional supernatural elements or fast-paced external action. The story remains grounded in the immediate, grim reality of Travis’s mental state. The final lines capture the precise moment his internal chaos becomes an external threat, leaving the reader with the unsettling image of a man making a death threat over the phone.

💎 Our verdict on Intent: A Short Story

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🩸

Horror Reads editorial team

Horror desk

Jeff Olah delivers a tense psychological portrait in Intent, examining the volatile intersection of trauma and mental illness. The narrative centers on Travis Higgins, who has isolated himself while battling PTSD and OCD. Voices scream for twelve months, driving him toward a catastrophic breaking point. Olah, known for post-apocalyptic action, shifts to internal survival here. The story builds through a chilling phone call to emergency services, announcing the intent to murder a neighbor. This structure creates immediate tension without relying on supernatural forces. It suits readers who enjoy character-driven horror and psychological thrillers that explore the fragility of the mind. The prose remains tight, focusing entirely on Travis’s deteriorating state. It avoids fast-paced external action for a grounded, grim reality.

✓ EDITOR'S REVIEW

📖 Why choose it

📖

Why this book is worth reading

Readers who appreciate character-driven horror and psychological thrillers will find Intent deeply compelling. The story offers a tense portrait of Travis Higgins, a man unraveling under the weight of PTSD and OCD. Olah shifts focus from external survival to internal deterioration, tracing a descent into violence through a confined narrative structure. This approach appeals to those interested in the volatile intersection of trauma and action. The single phone call format creates immediate tension, revealing the depth of Travis’s mental state. It is ideal for audiences who prefer grounded, grim realities over traditional supernatural scares. The book provides an unsettling look at how internal chaos becomes an external threat, making it a strong choice for fans of psychological suspense.

⭐ Reader reviews

The starting rating comes from the team Horror Reads —

Reader rating

4.4

Based on 1 reviews

Horror Reads editorial team

Jeff Olah delivers a tense psychological portrait in Intent, examining the volatile intersection of trauma and mental illness. The narrative centers on Travis Higgins, who has isolated himself while battling PTSD and OCD. Voices scream for twelve months, driving him toward a catastrophic breaking point. Olah, known for post-apocalyptic action, shifts to internal survival here. The story builds through a chilling phone call to emergency services, announcing the intent to murder a neighbor. This structure creates immediate tension without relying on supernatural forces. It suits readers who enjoy character-driven horror and psychological thrillers that explore the fragility of the mind. The prose remains tight, focusing entirely on Travis’s deteriorating state. It avoids fast-paced external action for a grounded, grim reality.