Perfectly Imperfect || Joel Dawson

[6]

"What you working on there man?" Clyde asked Joel as Olive slept quietly next to Minnow who braided her hair.

Joel snapped out of his daze, looking at what he was drawing. His eyes widen, quickly going back to the page he drew before, pretending that he was finishing up that instead.

"Just a little project I started a while back in my colony." Joel said, "Every time we encountered a new monster I'd just make a little entry."

Clyde sat next to him as Joel explained, "A drawing. Just some info about it. You know strengths, weaknesses, stuff like that. Made me feel like I was helping out, you know."

"You're a pretty good artist." Clyde said.

"Thanks." Joel smiled looking through his pages, "I've seen this one. Ugly bastard. Doesn't like loud noises. Also doesn't like a shotgun blasts to the head. Might wanna add that."

Joel grabbed a pencil, "Shotgun to the face." He muttered.

"And about that drawing," Clyde said reaching over and flipping to a certain page making Joel panic. "You are so screwed my friend."

"I- I was just bored." Joel stated, slightly embarrassed as he glanced at his drawing of Olive.

"You sure that's all?" Clyde asked. Joel looked at him confused, "Damn boy you really that blind?"

"I-," Joel started. "What?"

"Can I take a look?" Clyde said changing the subject. He wasn't gonna tell Joel what he meant. He was gonna let the young man figure it out.

"Yeah, yeah." Joel handed the sketchbook to him.

"Wow." Clyde said looking at a drawing of the asteroid.

"I was 16 when it hit." Joel told him.

"Yeah they sent everything up at once to take her down." Clyde said flipping through the pages, "They had the balls to call us the lucky ones. Just cause whatever the hell was in those things didn't affect us. Ain't nothing lucky about getting kicked off the top of the food chain."

"Yeah my parents thought if we could just make it out of Fairfield, we might have a shot." Joel said making Clyde stop.

"Wait wait wait," Clyde started, "You're from Fairfield?"

"Yeah why?" Joel asked.

Clyde stated at him with astonishment, "man I've never met anyone who made it out of Fairfield. That place was basically ground zero. Shit, I've only heard horror stories."

Joel smiled sadly, "Yeah it was pretty bad." He said.

"Your parents?" Clyde asked.

"Oh- no." Joel answered. "No it's just me. Couldn't save em."

"You putting that on yourself?" Clyde asked. Joel hummed making Clyde sigh, "You're from Fairfield man. You shouldn't even be here. Right? You're more of a survivor than I thought."

Joel stared at him, "That's the coolest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"It's a good start." Clyde handed him his sketchbook, "Keep it up. Book like this could save someone's life out here."

"Thanks Clyde."

Clyde looked at Minnow who slept next to Olive. "You uh, you sure your girls worth it?" He asked Joel. "Coming all this way?"

Joel couldn't help but look over to the girl with black hair. He thought about how she opened up to him. He thinks that was the first time she's opened up to anyone in a long time.