8 ~ Night

And the world is busting at its seams
And you're just a prisoner of your dreams
Holding on for your life
…
And you know she will be waiting there
And you'll find her somehow you swear
Somewhere tonight you run sad and free
Until all you can see is the night

Donna leaned against a tree to catch her breath. She had sprinted without knowing where she was going, ending up in the forest, now dark since the sun had set.

She wasn't freaked out about killing the dragon. Somewhere deep inside her, she felt that killing the dragon had been the right thing to do. That she had been meant to kill the dragon, with the sword she found.

She was freaked out because of how right killing the dragon had felt. The sword had felt so good in her hands. That terrified her.

Eric caught up to her. He bent over, resting his hands on his knees and panting heavily. "Oh man, am I out of shape," he managed to say between breaths.

Donna laughed. Her shallow breaths turned into deeper ones until she was breathing normally again. When Eric straightened up, she enveloped him in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around her just as snugly. His embrace calmed her down, enough to think clearly.

"I killed a dragon," she said.

"It was so badass. And, like, weirdly sexy," Eric said.

Donna laughed again. Eric always knew exactly how to make her feel better. It was one of the reasons she'd fallen in love with him. She kissed him, keeping her hands splayed on his back. He gave into her kiss and his fingers found her hair. Yeah, Eric always knew how to make her feel better.

Fez hadn't moved from the dragon. He was in awe that Donna had killed the beast he'd heard so many legends about. He could not believe he was friends with such a badass woman.

However, they could get into extreme trouble if anyone found out about this. Donna would be hanged, as would Kelso for throwing the rock that sparked Angor's fury. Speaking of which…

"Kelso, what the hell were you thinking? Why would you throw a rock at a dragon?" Fez asked, turning on Kelso, who was sitting on the ground with Donna's sword.

"I didn't think the rock would hit it!" Kelso said.

"Why did you throw it, then?"

"I thought maybe the dragon would breathe fire on it or something! I don't know!"

"Well I hope you are happy with the knowledge that if any of us die for this, it is your fault." Fez walked away from the dragon, back out to the outcrop. The sun was gone, replaced by the deep blue of night.

Kelso did not follow him.

Hyde thought he had gone in the same direction as Donna and Forman, but apparently he hadn't. He'd been walking for a while and he still hadn't found them. He recognized the path from their hike earlier, though, so he wasn't totally lost.

He stopped walking and looked up at the sky, visible through a gap in the trees. The stars were starting to become visible, thought not completely. And once the stars were visible, Hyde would be thinking of Jackie once again.

It was nearly impossible to get her off his mind. His thoughts always returned to her, like his brain was a broken record caught in the repeating loop of Jackie. With her missing, he had little else that was even worthy of thinking about.

Hyde looked around, making sure he was alone. "Jackie, I swear I am going to find you. Whatever it takes, I am not going to let you disappear. I will find you."

Jackie didn't respond.

Eric's back was against one of the thick beech trees in the forest. Donna's lips were on his and her hands were in his hair. Making out with her was truly one of life's great pleasures, right up there with Star Wars and having sex with her.

He slipped his hands beneath her shirt, dragging his fingers lightly over the soft skin there. He knew this make out wouldn't turn into anything satisfying, but he was content to enjoy it for all it was.

"Hey, I found them!" Kelso's voice cut through Eric's thoughts.

Donna pulled away, releasing him from being trapped against the tree. "What do you want, Kelso?"

"Fez is mad at me for throwing the rock that made the dragon angry, so I thought I'd make it up to him by finding you guys," Kelso said cheerfully. "Also, Donna, you killed, like, the biggest and meanest dragon in history."

Donna's eyebrows raised. "That kicks ass!"

Eric smiled at her. "Anyone ever tell you how incredibly sexy you are?"

Donna laughed. "You. All the time."

"Guys, we gotta handle the whole dragon thing, remember?" Kelso pointed out.

Donna nodded and laced her fingers through Eric's. Kelso turned and led them back to the outcrop, where Fez was sitting near the edge.

"Fez, I found them!" Kelso announced. Fez turned and stood up, walking over to them.

"What about Hyde?" Fez asked.

"He went in the other direction," Kelso said.

"What?" Eric asked. "Where did he go?"

"He said he had to take a walk to clear his head," Fez said. "Then he walked into the woods. I was preoccupied with the dragon. I probably should not have let him go off on his own."

"No, you shouldn't have!" Eric said. If Hyde got lost, they would all be screwed. "We have to find him."

"Uh, guys?" Kelso asked. "I think we have a bigger problem." He pointed behind Eric and Donna. They turned to see a few people from town walking over to them.

"Shit," Donna muttered.

"Everyone give me your clothes, I'll hide the dragon," Kelso said, starting to unbutton his shirt.

Fez pried Kelso's hands away from the buttons. "No need to show everyone your sexy body. They will find out regardless. Donna killed the most well-known dragon in the land. People are bound to find out eventually. Maybe we can convince these people not to convict Donna."

"What in Angor's name is going on here?" the tallest of the three strangers asked.

"Angor is dead," Kelso told them helpfully.

The three strangers all gasped and frantically looked around. They rushed over to the dragon's carcass and checked to see that it really was this Angor everyone kept mentioning.

"He's been stabbed!" the shortest one cried. She turned to the four of them. "Whichever one of you interlopers did this should be hanged!"

"I agree," the tall one said. "They should be hanged immediately!"

"No, wait!" Kelso said. "We didn't kill him."

"You clearly did! Why else would you not have reported it?" the short one said.

"So? Which of you was it?" the tall one asked. "I think it's the redhead. Legend told of the Red Lady killing Angor."

"Legend is dragonshit," the last one said.

Donna stepped forward. "It was-"

In that split second before Donna could finish her sentence, Eric felt overwhelmed by a sense of compulsion. Before his brain registered what he was doing, he was standing in front of Donna and saying, "Me. It was me. I killed the dragon."

Donna grabbed his shoulder. "Eric, no-"

"I did it. I found the sword and I stabbed the dragon!" Eric said.

"Well, I think that's all the evidence we need, don't you?" the third person said to his two companions. They both nodded. "Let us take him to town and get him on the gallows!"

"No! No, it was me, you can't hang him!" Donna said frantically.

"He has already confessed. Why would he confess to a crime he did not commit?" the tall one asked.

"I wouldn't. Because I did it, I'm the criminal," Eric said.

Donna's shoulders slumped, realizing she couldn't fight Eric on this decision. "Shouldn't he at least get a trial?"

"There are no trials on the island," Fez said. Donna glared at him and punched his arm. Fez cried out and rubbed it.

"A trial is not necessary. What is your name, dragon-killer?" the short one asked.

"Eric. Eric Forman."

"Well, then, Eric Forman, we sentence you to hanging for the murder of Angor the dragon, effective as soon as possible."