The Psychic’s Dilemma

By Piyush Mohite

"The Psychic's Dilemma" follows Lena, a woman with the haunting ability to see visions of unsolved crimes, including murders, kidnappings, and disappearances. As she delves deeper into these visions, she uncovers a chilling connection between the crimes and her own past. Struggling to discern whether her experiences are supernatural or psychological, Lena faces a series of twists that lead her to confront the dark secrets of her family and her own fractured psyche. With her sanity and safety on the line, Lena must decide whether to accept her role in the unfolding mysteries or fight to regain control of her mind and destiny. The story is a gripping blend of psychological tension and supernatural intrigue, exploring the fine line between reality and illusion.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Piyush Mohite
• Release date: Feb 16, 2025
• ISBN: 9798230823995

Book preview

The First Vision

Lena Rivers sat at the corner table of her favorite café, the soft hum of conversation surrounding her as she sipped her cappuccino. The afternoon light filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow on the worn wooden tables. The steady rhythm of the espresso machine in the back provided a comforting soundtrack to her otherwise ordinary life. At twenty-eight, Lena had found a simple sense of contentment in the quiet moments—reading books, chatting with the occasional customer, and observing the world from a safe distance.

Her life was routine, predictable. A job she didn’t particularly love but didn’t mind, a small apartment that was cozy enough for one, and friends who were, well, just friends. Nothing ever seemed to disrupt the smooth flow of her days.

Except, of course, today.

Lena had always prided herself on being level-headed. When things got too stressful, she knew how to step back, take a breath, and center herself. But right now, as she gazed into the frothy surface of her coffee, something inside her felt... wrong. A sense of unease prickled the back of her neck, though she couldn't quite explain why. She pushed the feeling aside and tried to focus on the novel she'd brought with her.

It was then that it happened.

A sudden coldness swept through her body. It wasn’t physical, more like a chill that settled in her bones, an unsettling premonition. She blinked, trying to shake it off, but her vision began to distort. The café around her started to blur, the chatter turning into a low, distant murmur. The walls seemed to close in, and the familiar sounds of the bustling café became muffled and hollow, like they were underwater.

And then, just like that, everything shifted.

Lena gasped, her heart racing in her chest as a sharp, vivid image invaded her mind. It was as if she were no longer sitting at her table but had been transported somewhere else entirely. She found herself in a dimly lit alleyway, the air thick with the smell of wet pavement. The coldness in the air bit at her skin. She blinked and realized that she was no longer alone. There was a man standing just a few feet away from her—a man she didn’t recognize.

He was in his forties, his face weary, marked with the signs of a hard life. His eyes darted around, nervously scanning the street as if he were waiting for something, or someone. Lena's breath caught in her throat as she instinctively stepped forward, drawn to him, though she had no idea why.

He looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him. His expression was one of quiet desperation. She wanted to speak, to call out to him, but the words stuck in her throat, and before she could process what was happening, something shifted behind him.

A shadow.

The man didn’t see it coming. One moment, he was standing still, his back to the alley’s dim streetlight, and the next, a figure emerged from the darkness—a tall, menacing silhouette, cloaked in shadows. The figure moved with unsettling speed, and before Lena could even comprehend the motion, the man’s body jerked forward. A flash of steel glinted in the low light.

The man’s expression shifted from confusion to shock, then pain. He collapsed to the ground in slow motion, as if time had momentarily frozen. Blood pooled around him, soaking into the cold pavement. The vision was so sharp, so real, that Lena felt a cold lump form in her throat. Her heart hammered in her chest, and a wave of nausea washed over her as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes.

Everything felt so vivid, so intense. She could hear the man’s gasps for air, his body twitching as the life drained from him. She could feel his fear. And then, in an instant, the vision stopped.

Lena blinked, and the café came back into focus. The sounds returned to normal—chatter, clinking cups, the soft murmur of conversations. She was back at her table, hands shaking, her heart racing uncontrollably. She looked around, confused, her mind struggling to grasp what had just happened. She reached for her coffee, but her hands were unsteady, and the mug rattled against the saucer.

What the hell was that? she whispered to herself, trying to steady her breath. Her mind raced, trying to rationalize what had just occurred. She looked down at her hands, as if to reassure herself they were real, that she hadn’t somehow slipped into some strange dream. But they felt solid, anchored in reality.

Lena stared at her reflection in the café window, her face pale, the shock still lingering in her eyes. She looked around the café again, her breath coming in shallow gasps. No one seemed to notice anything unusual. People laughed, conversed, and carried on with their lives, oblivious to the fact that her world had just shifted on its axis.

She was sure she had just witnessed a murder—a brutal, senseless act that was happening somewhere in the city, at that very moment. But why? And how? How could she see something like that? Was she going mad?

Are you okay? a soft voice interrupted her thoughts, and Lena snapped her head up to see Claire, the café’s barista, standing by her table, concern etched on her face.

Lena forced a smile, though it felt tight and unnatural. Yeah, I’m fine, she said, trying to sound normal. But her voice trembled, betraying her.

Claire lingered for a moment, eyeing her with a mix of curiosity and caution. You sure? You look a little pale.

Lena nodded, though the unease in her chest refused to dissipate. I’m just... I don’t know. Just a bad headache or something. It’ll pass.

Claire seemed unconvinced but didn’t press further. She gave Lena a brief smile and turned to tend to the next customer.

Lena sat there for a long moment, staring at her half-drunk coffee. Her mind raced, replaying the vision over and over again. The image of the man, his terrified expression, the sharp glint of the knife in the darkness. It felt so real. Too real. She could still feel the weight of it pressing down on her.

Get a grip, she muttered to herself. It was just stress. You’re tired. You’ve been working too much. That’s all.

But the words didn’t feel like enough. They didn’t erase the image of the man’s face, or the suffocating fear that had gripped her heart as she watched him die.

Lena tried to shake it off, forcing herself to focus on the simple tasks at hand—pulling out her phone to check her messages, trying to read the page of her book, but everything felt distant, like she was watching herself from afar.

The vision had left an indelible mark on her, and she couldn’t understand why it had happened.

Maybe I’m just exhausted, she said again, though this time it felt less convincing. She rubbed her temples, trying to focus on the mundane, to push away the unsettling sense of dread that clung to her.

But the vision kept returning—its clarity, its realness. The man, the knife, the blood—everything. It was like a shard of glass embedded deep in her mind, impossible to remove.

Lena’s phone buzzed in her hand, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen: it was a text from Maggie, her best friend.

Hey, you good? You’ve been a little quiet lately. Want to grab dinner tonight?

Lena stared at the text, her mind still buzzing from the vision. She knew Maggie would want an explanation if she was honest about how she felt, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. Not yet. She wasn’t ready to admit the truth, not when she barely understood it herself.

Yeah, sounds good. I’ll be there around 7, Lena typed, her fingers trembling slightly as she hit send.

The unease in her chest hadn’t lessened. In fact, it had only grown stronger. Something was wrong, she knew that now. Something much bigger than a passing moment of stress. Something she couldn’t ignore.

Lena finished her coffee in silence, the empty mug a reminder of the strange and terrifying vision that had just invaded her life.

She had no