Just the Maid

Chapter Four- Zebro

Groaning, the door wasn't moving. It moved maybe an inch, but it wasn't budging. I stopped for a second to catch my breath. I stared at the door, cradling my chin in my hands. 'What would open this door? It's too heavy for all of us to push it open. Even me! Unless I showed them my full strength, we're not going to be going through this door anytime soon...'

The chief stopped pushing and looked at me. Everyone else did the same. They all looked at me. Like they were expecting something.

I thought carefully about the information I gathered from the library about what was behind this door.

'No one knows what lies behind the big stone door because whoever went in, never came out.'

'What could be behind that door that no one ever returned from?' I thought. 'Time to find out, I guess.'

I walked over to the wooden door that lead to past the gate. The crew followed me.

"What're ya thinking about, Captain?" the leader said. I stood there silently, balancing on one leg. I thought carefully again, staring at the door.

"That's it! I'm tired of waiting and I want that reward!" yelled a random man. I turned, surprised, as a guy in a white tank top and khaki shorts came running up.

"Move aside! I'm getting that reward!" he yelled in my face. I moved aside. I didn't know what was going to happen, but someone had to find out. We all did. If I didn't let him through, then they all would want to go through, and I couldn't just let them ALL die.

The khaki guy opened and went through the door, not knowing what would befall him.

As soon as he went through the door, a huge pair of jaws wrapped around his small body. He screamed, but we couldn't save him. We were all scared stiff. It was getting darker by the second, but we saw its hideous features. It was just enough for me to slam the door close and back up.

"Well... This mission is botched. We're not going through there and we can't get the door open. Let's go fellas," said one man.

"N-No! D-Don't go! We can still make it! Come on!" cried our leader. "We can still make it through! The gatekeeper must be able to get us through. He has to, or else he wouldn't be the gatekeeper, right?"

A few mumbled to themselves, then came back to join us. I looked up at the window of the stone hut as I saw the old man again. He motioned for me to go in, but to do it alone.

I motioned for the leader's attention and showed him with my hands that he needed to stay here with the men.

"I don't know what's going through your head, but I trust you," he said. I nodded and hopped to the door of the hut.

Opening the door, I saw that it was an extremely small hut. It had only one room with a telephone on the left of me and what looked like a bedroom my right and the kitchen right in front of me.

The old man was sitting at a chair at his small table in the "kitchen".

"Hello, my name is Zebro," he said. I stared at him silently.

"I saw what you did for those men. Saving them. That required a great amount of skill to pull that off." He chuckled. "Please, sit down. You are welcome here, for I sense you have a strong and kind heart."

I wobbled over to the chair and sat down with a thud. I winced and grunted as my right ankle hit the leg of the table.

"Oooh... You got a little oopsie, now didn't ya? I can fix that right up," he said. He stood and walked over to the stove and grabbed a couple herbs from above it. I watched silently as he grabbed a small pot and filled it with water.

BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

"OPEN UP!" "WHERE'S OUR CAPTAIN!?" "LET US IN!" These were the shouts I heard coming from outside.

"Oh dear, an impatient bunch are they? Let me just calm them down-" I stood up quickly and looked him in the eye, then shook my head. I hopped over to the door, careful of my ankle and thrust open the door. One guy almost fell in. With my face still hidden, I stared them all right in the eye and put one finger to my lips, then made a shooing motion.

"You... You want us to leave?" asked our leader, Mustache Man. I nodded and put up two fingers, then pointed downwards.

"Do two pushups?" asked one guy. I facepalmed.

"No, idiot! He wants us to meet here tomorrow at two pm! Don't you see how dark the sky is getting? We've been here almost all day!" lectured another guy to the first. They all kinda grumbled a bit then went away. Mustache Man stayed behind to tell me to be careful. Then, he left as well.

When everyone was finally gone, I closed the door and hopped back to the table.

"You can take that hood off too, you know. There isn't any cops up here and I'm no squealer. Now lemme see that leg," said Zebro. I twisted in my chair and took off my boots and socks, showing him my super red and super swollen ankle.

"Oh my, you got it good, it seems. It'll hurt at first, but then it will get better," he stated. He was holding a small wooden bowl with some sort of green slop. As he started applying the goop, I took my ankle away.

"Now now, I know it stings, but you just have to let it work it's magic." I groaned and stuck it out to him again and he started massaging my ankle with the glop. I winced, then sighed, feeling the cold moisture on my ankle soothed the pain and increased my trust in him.

A few minutes later, he finished.

"You should rest that ankle up now, miss." He said as he washed the bowl. I took a sharp breath and looked up at him quickly. He was smiling.

Finally, I spoke. "How'd you know?" I took off my hood, letting my brown hair flow.

"Because you just told me." I mentally facepalmed myself for doing something so stupid. "I understand why you must hide your identity from those men, if you're working with them, but why not come here alone?" he asked.

"Because..." I paused. I didn't really have a good answer, so I lied. "Because I'm not strong enough."

"You're lying," he said. Of course he would know that I'm lying, he works for the Zoldycks! I mentally facepalmed myself.

"Would you like to meet them?" The question threw me off guard.

Suddenly, a knife came towards me at shocking speeds at my left. I grabbed the hand holding it and twisted it behind the holder's back.

"Zebro!? What the heck! What are you trying to do to me!?" I yelled. He laughed.

"I was just testing you, is all. You can let me go now," he chuckled. I released him.

"You're lucky we're friends, or else I would've broken your arm!" I lectured. He just laughed again.

"I'm serious though. Do you want to meet the Zoldyck family?" He set the knife on the counter.

"I do, but..." I paused again.

"But what?"

"I want to do it by my own means. I don't want unnecessary help."

"Then what are those men there for?"

"Company, I suppose."

"I see... Well, I hope you make it through. I'm going to bed now. I have a cabin that I live in a little ways away. Do you think you can make it?" Zebro asked me.

"I'll be fine here," I replied.

"Do you want a lantern?"

"No, I'll be fine. Thank you for your hospitality. I'm grateful."

With that, he left leaving me here with a bed and no exchange of clothes. At least there was some food that I saw. My stomach grumbled. I couldn't just eat whatever I wanted though! That's called stealing! So I just laid down on the cot, putting my foot up on an extra pillow to keep it raised a little bit.

I fell asleep in an instant.