Chapter 3 The Gallows

Her screams are what awoke Megatron in his power down, springing into action he grabbed his sword and raced to his 'guides' room. He shoved the old door open and ran inside to see her sitting straight up in bed and panting like she had just run for her life, she whipped her head around to see Megatron standing there out of his armor and without a shirt she could see all the battle scars he has had dealt to him over the years as well as his toned body to which she couldn't believe how handsome it was…

Good God what's wrong with me!? She thought to herself.

"Well," He said, relaxing his stance, "For a second I thought you were dead."

She huffed, "Oh shut up, asshole." She plopped back down.

He rolled his eyes, "So, why did you scream?" She turned away from him.

"I had a dream or more like a vision….." She trailed off, it clearly was bothering her and he didn't know how to help, so he awkwardly sat on the edge of the bed.

"Do you want to….talk about it?" He carefully asked.

"In the morning…...I am tired." She sighed to herself, curling into a ball and promptly falling asleep.

Megatron sat their, unsure what to do, so he quickly got back up and headed out of her room, closing the door. Sighing to himself he made his way back to his room before falling back into sleep as well.

Next Morning…..

When Miko woke up the next morning she felt awful, she cursed the uneven bedding and quickly got dressed in her borrowed dress putting her hair into bun and grabbing the staff that had blackened her hands and part of her arms and headed out the door down into the tavern below to see the trio gone, the bartender still there and Megatron at a table eating what could only be described as slop.

She sat down next to him, "That looks horrid."

"It taste like nothing, is all human food like this?" He asked, seemly in a awful tired state like she was.

"No, we have flavor. I guess Barovia really knows how to squeeze every pleasure from anything." The bartender came around with another plate of the same slop for Miko who after staring at it for a good two minutes decides food is better than no food so she ate it.

"Now," He caught her attention, "What happened last night?"

She sighed, and caught him up to speed about everything she learned, "So, if we find these Vistani, we might be able to get out."

"It's never that easy, girl. There is either a price or they won't be willing to help us." Megatron pushed to plate away and chugged some red wine before slamming the cup on the table.

"Didn't take you for a wine drinker?" Miko asked surprised.

He scoffed, "It's the only thing that has flavor, girl, why else would I drink it."

"Well be careful, that stuff can get you drunk if you aren't careful." He laughed dryly before a silence befell them.

After several minutes Miko spoke up, "So, how do we find these Vistani?"

"I don't know, maybe there are people in the town somewhere that might know…" He trailed off in thought, Miko pushed herself up with a confidence.

"Well then, let's find those people and get answers!" Megatron rolled his eyes but got up and followed the eager girl out the door to the gloomy state of the outside in Barovia once more.

After several minutes of searching they come across a elderly women who is going door to door and what looked like was selling pastries. Miko and Megatron began to approach as the man who the women was selling too pushed a young boy out the door and the two adults exchanged the pies it seemed before shutting the door and the young boy stood near the elderly women.

Confused, Miko walked up to them as Megatron tried to stop her and failed, "Uh, hi there?"

The elderly women turned to them, she wore tattered robes and had a walking stick and a cart with her along with the young, ten year old boy with tattered clothing as well who looked terrified and saddened as he cried silent tears.

She smiled at them, "Oh hello dearies, how can I help you?"

"Oh, I was just wondering why that man pushed this boy out of the house?" She asked, her confidence faltering slightly.

"Ah yes, well, the boy is payment." Miko and even Megatron stared at her in disbelief.

"Wait, payment? What do you mean?" He asked the women who laughed.

"Well, not everyone can afford my Dream Pies, so they pay me with the children." Both outsiders stood there in shock, before glancing between the boy and the women.

"W-what do you do with them?" Miko asked, gripping her staff tightly.

"Oh I am afraid I can't tell you, but me and my sisters take good care of them, so don't you go and worry. Now, would you like a Dream Pie?" She asked, holding a steaming hot pie in her hands.

"Why are they called Dream Pies?" Megatron asked, suspicious of her.

"That's because they give the people of Barovia what they want, they give visions of the ideal life, outside of Strahd's domain." They both looked at each other before looking back.

"It's fine, we're good for now." Miko said as they stared back at the boy.

"Alrighty then, I must continue on my route, is there anything else you need?" She asked putting the boy into the cart.

"Yeah, do you know any Vistani nearby?" She scowled at the mention of the Vistani.

"Oh them, there just outside of town in the forest near the river." She said plainly before abruptly leaving, cart in tow.

"There is something wrong with that women…." Megatron trailed off, while Miko simple nodded her head before heading towards the path that lead out of town towards the forest.

They began their trek into the darkened forest, the low lying fog was unsettling as they continued on. After a hour or so they came to a fork in the road, near this fork was a unmarked graveyard that screamed haunted with it's mostly unmarked graves and near that was a gallows, with a single broken robe tied off where a body would've hanged. Giving it little thought Megatron moved past it all with Miko trailing behind him, as he went right, due to the wheel tracks in the dirt.

As she walked past it, a cold wind pick up and it nipped at her making her chill, she then heard a creaking coming from behind her.

She looked behind her to the gallows where once it was empty, there on the robe was a hanging body. She stopped in her tracks as the body slowly swayed in the wind, slowly turning towards her until the face was visible making her stumble back and fall.

Looking back at her was a familiar face…...

There, another version of herself hanged…..

Dead.

Lifeless.

Cold.

….

….

Her breathing quickened, her skin was going pale and a cold sweat dripped from her body as she trembled in place, shock was taking her mind as she stared at herself, hanging there, wearing the same clothing and everything. Her mind was going blank and her body was locking up in panic and shock.

Suddenly Megatron came in front of her, blocking the view of the horrifying image that was seared into her mind, he grabbed her face and forced her to look him in the eyes.

His voice was unusually calm, "Miko, Miko look at me. Just breathe, you need to breath and calm your mind." Her breathing began to calm, "I know what you just saw is something you can never forget but for I know I need you to forget, focus on you're breathing, focus on my voice and be still."

After a view moments her trembling stopped, "I-I-I c-can't-t I-I…."

"Shhh, don't think…." He gently wrapped his arms around her and barred her head into his chest. After a few more moments, Megatron dared to look back to see the gallows empty once more, devoid of the hanging Miko both she and he saw earlier.

She fell back away from him, "Thanks…." She stood slowly, still a little wobbly and he quickly grabbed her hand to stabilize her.

"Of course, obviously Strahd is play with our minds, we must be wary. Alright?" She nodded her head and they headed back down the road like before, but never letting there intertwined hands go.