Orion tasted drywall.
He coughed slightly as the dust settled across his bedroom. His shirt was coated in the dry powder that had once been his bedroom wall. A large hole now sat squarely next to Orions bed. Andrea raised the baseball bat again and swung.
The crash of wood against plaster echoed through Orions apartment. The loud noise made him uneasy, and put images of beasts swarming his apartment into his mind.
The whole process made him uneasy. He had never really participated in a demolition, especially not one of his own living space. Andrea on the other hand seemed to be having a great time. She smiled proudly as she slammed the bat into his wall again, letting more drywall fall to the floor. Devon leaned over to Orion.
"You were right," he whispered. "She's nuts."
Orion chuckled. He had warned the new survivors that Andrea was a little…reckless. She was still Orions favourite though. It was maybe because of her recklessness. She got stuff done, and if something went wrong, she handled it the best she could.
George stood in the doorway, yawning. He had opposed the idea vehemently. But once Orion had told him that he wouldn't need to do any of the demolition, he suddenly became more open to the idea.
"Lazy prick." Andrea had said. She seemed to hate George the most. The pair were fundamentally different. Andrea was productive, George was lazy. Andrea was charismatic, and George had the personality of a wet paper bag (according to Devon.)
Another crash echoed through the room as Andrea slammed the bat into the drywall. She panted slightly, the repetitive action becoming exhausting.
"Why am I the only one doing anything?" She asked, addressing the room. George rolled his eyes and turned to walk down the hallway.
"You're the only one with a tool." Said Samantha, who was seated in the corner of the room. She seemed to have taken a liking to the boxer. Andrea nodded in agreement before turning the bat over in her hand and holding it towards the young girl. Samantha smiled as she stood.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Monica asked as Samantha accepted the bat. Samantha ignored the question and swung the bat, a large amount of dust spreading across Orions room.
Orion slowly moved to the back of his bedroom as Samantha continued to swing. It was strange to see the young girl so excited. Smart as she may be, she never seemed to be overly happy about much.
She seemed to have some form of enhanced memory. Not nearly photogenic, but she could hold onto information for a long while. It's how she remembered when Orion had moved to the apartment. He was grateful to have her on his side.
"Y'know," Andrea said as she gently took the bat from Samantha's hands. "Orion should really be the one doing this. It's his apartment and all."
The boxer smiled as she motioned for Orion to take the bat. Orion hesitated for a moment, trying to find an excuse. He was uncomfortable with the idea, but he couldn't think of why.
He eventually just sighed and took the bat. There was no sense in fighting Andrea. Stubborn bastard. Orion raised the bat, and swung.
***
"Damn, nice place." Devon complimented as he stepped through the newly formed tunnel. Dust covered the ground in both Andrea and Orions bedrooms.
Andrea stood proudly in the centre of her room as Devon and Samantha brought what little supplies they had into her living room. The agreement had been that Monica and George would stay in Orions room, with Samantha and Devon in Andrea's. George had fought vehemently against this, however no other arrangement worked, as both Samantha and Devon refused to stay in the same room as George. The older man had briefly tried to convince Andrea to let him stay in her bedroom while she stayed in Orions room with Monica. She shut that down pretty quick.
Orion glanced around the boxers bedroom. He hadn't gotten to see it the last time he was here, and he was sort of amazed by it. Unlike her living room, the bedroom was all fundamentals. Bed, dresser, desk. No posters, no trash. It was more like Orions room than Andrea's own living room.
Orions eyes settled on a small photograph and vase on Andrea's dresser. He walked over slowly, and the smell of incense filled his nose. The photograph was of an older woman, with greying hair and a kind smile. It was easy to tell that she was some relative of Andrea's, probably a grandmother.
"What're you looking at?" Andrea asked. Orion turned sheepishly. He stuttered for a moment. He hasn't meant to make her uncomfortable.
"Sorry." He muttered, turning away from the picture frame.
All around them were the sounds of conversation. Devon and Samantha chatted in Andrea's living room, and George was rattling on in Orions. The apartments had gotten a lot louder with these four. Andrea sighed as Orion walked past.
"Orion." She said sternly. Orion froze, and turned slowly.
"Be honest. Do you think this is gonna work out? This whole new-group thing?"
Orion paused. He understood what she meant. He wished he didn't. This ragtag group was hard to work around. He had grown a habit of blaming the negative dynamic on George, but it was hard to deny that the group would still be difficult without him.
Monica was too anti-action. They would die of starvation in this apartment if they followed her. Devon on the other hand was too pro-action. He had already tried to convince the group to leave the room more than once in search of kill counts and prizes. Samantha seemed reluctant to work with anybody for any reason.
Orion was missing when it was just the two of them. Despite the danger they were in. But he also knew for a fact…
"We won't make it without them."
Andrea sighed after a moment. She knew he was right. She just wished he wasn't.