The rain started increasing in intensity, creating bigger puddles on the sidewalk. The Banana hobbled down the street with his arm around Lori's shoulder for support. He was wounded and bruised. He was near total defeat, but he couldn't let her down, he was her favorite picture. He knew as soon as he heard the engine of Mercedes C-Class Coupe, it was too late. His captor John was in hot pursuit, along with his associate Bill. They turned into an alleyway and The Banana fell on the filthy, wet concrete. Even though the night was dark, as he looked up he could see Lori, defiantly on lookout for the men that wanted to take him away. The Banana loved her, he just didn't know how to express it. After a minute of silence, Lori knelt down in-front of him. She kissed him ferociously, and he felt something he hadn't felt before. Before long, he was on top of her in the alleyway, wanting the moment to last forever. It felt like heaven, until the small roar of the engine was heard down the street. They jumped to their feet, and started running down the alley, away from the opening. It was a long, straight path that had no right or left turns. Headlights shone behind them, as the C-Class Coupe turned into the alley and began to charge after them. The beams of light grew intense on their backs as they ran, until they hit a brick wall.
Backs to the wall, they stared at the lights shining at them. The C-Class Coupe had stopped, with only the high beams working. Both driver and passenger doors opened and the two men stepped out. The driver, John, walked up to Lori, and stood close to her, face to face. He began to laugh.
"Lori, haha, where did you find this one?" He inquired in a tone that dripped of sarcasm and hostility, as he pointed to The Banana.
"John, I-I-I can explain, I was-was online and – "John backhanded Lori, interrupting her panicked explanation.
"You think I want to hear lies, Lori?!" He erupted "We both know damn well that you stole him!" He shoved her back against the brick wall.
The Banana dropper his right shoulder as he wound up to punch John in the jaw, but Bill saw this and kicked him in the stomach. The Banana fell to his knees, one hand on the ground, the other clutching the new bruise on his stomach.
"No! Don't hurt him!" Lori protested "You said he was all mine!"
Bill ran up to her, and from his pocket he pulled a comb that doubled as a switchblade. He held the blade to her throat.
"Lori, you're mistaken." Bill said without any emotion besides hate "John said he was all mine!" And he connected his left elbow to Lori's face, sending her sprawling to the ground. The Banana saw this happen and something snapped within him. He stood up. The banana put both hands above his head, and grabbed the top of his head with both hands. He began to peel himself as he let out a bloodcurdling yell due to the complete torment he felt. He had never experienced pain like this before, it was as if his skin was on fire, and there was no calming the suffering. He finished peeling, in tears. He held the peel upside down, and wiggled it at arm's length away from his body. When Bill and John laid their eyes upon the scene they broke down laughing. At first it was joyful, but they soon discovered that they could not stop. They laughed for forty minutes, until they began to cry. John shouted about his family, and how much he missed them, how he wanted to see them again. Between the laughter, Bill tried to form coherent sentences about missing his recently deceased sister. Blood started coming out of John's mouth. He turned to Bill and saw the exact horrific thing was happening to him.
"John!" Bill wailed, gurgling on blood and fighting back tears "I really, really, really like this image" He finished, and fell to the ground. John saw Bill's lifeless body and knelt down beside his friend. Images of the two of them playing on the swing set after school flashed. Images of bike rides, and birthday parties, and summer camps followed. John turned his friend around, and closed his wide open, horror-filled eyes.
"Me too.." He said softly, between soft chuckles, and the coughing of blood. "Save it, it's all yours, my friend." John finished his sentence and slumped over Bill's body.
The Banana put his peel down. He sighed of relief, and stepped over the two lifeless bodies. He came to Lori, who was sitting in a fetal position at this point. He picked her up, and carried her to the Class-C Coupe. The Banana put her in the passenger seat, and took the wheel. He buckled up, and started the car.
But the car's battery was dead because nobody turned off the high beams.
