Despair is a horror story by Russian writer Yuri Nesterenko.
Despair contains examples of:
- Adam and/or Eve: Suffering from amnesia and thus not remembering their real names, the protagonists call themselves so. Since they are the only survivors on the ship, it also counts as Adam and Eve Plot. Their real names are later revealed to be Victor Adams and Linda Everett, which is likely not a coincidence.
- Body Horror: The descriptions of the bodies.
- Came Back Wrong: After revival, the protagonists suffered temporal amnesia and their bodies are deformed as well. What seemed to be eyepatch and bandages was actually made of their skin.
- Cosmic Horror Story
- Creepy Cockroach: There are a lot of creepy things on the spaceship, including cockroaches (many of them look weird, for example have 7 legs instead of 6 or are pale), worms and something like a mix between insects and worms. They are harmless, however. Despair is the real enemy.
- Death Seeker: Both brotagonists at the end of the story.
- Downer Ending: Still hoping to die, the protagonists explode the spaceship. But even this can't kill them and they collapse into the ball of flesh, feeling only despair.
- Fate Worse than Death: The protagonists are stuck in the spaceship and expose themselves to horrible torture in hope that pain will distract them from the Despair. They can't die (although temporal amnesia after revival gives them some relief from the Despair) and can't break their minds.
- Hyperspace Is a Scary Place: The Despair is stated to consume all sentient beings one day, but Faster-Than-Light Travel in the state of dark matter makes it much faster for travellers.
- Minimalist Cast: Only two characters.
- No Antagonist: There is no antagonist character, just Despair, non-sentient, mindless force.
- Sealed Room in the Middle of Nowhere: The protagonists are stuck in the spaceship.
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Spiritual Successor: The author himself stated that this story was inspired by the video game I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream.
