Chapter 17

The Dallas courthouse was packed; almost every square inch taken. There was a soft hum of cars talking amongst one another, waiting for the judge's and Shiloh's arrival. The jury, which made up a mixture of gas guzzlers and fuel efficients, was conversing quietly. Big Thing, Maddie, Beau, Austin, Luke and Drake sat at the front of the courtroom in silence, waiting for David Lancaster and his supposed surprise witness. Joe was still in the hospital, and Big Thing was missing him terribly.

Suddenly the back doors to the courthouse flung open and David Lancaster drove in with his surprise witness. The witness was the red Toyota Tacoma that Big Thing had stood up for when Shiloh had tried to kill him. The Tacoma looked nervous, not liking all the eyes that were upon him as he drove to the front of the courthouse. He parked next to Big Thing and looked down at his tires, not saying a word.

The doors to the courthouse opened once again, and this time Shiloh and his attorney drove in. The courthouse erupted with anger; shouting and cursing accompanying him as he was ushered down the aisle. Blu Blaze, Shiloh's mother and stepfather followed him. His mother was a silver, older modeled Prius and his stepfather was a sleek, black 1987 BMW. As they parked next to their son, Big Thing could see that Shiloh's mother held a scared and confused gaze, seemingly unaware of the madness that shrouded her family. His stepfather was parked quietly, emotionlessly looking ahead, phasing out the chaos around him.

"Please rise for the honorable Jugde Oilengine," the bailiff belted out.

When the judge finally drove into the room, the courthouse fell into silence. Judge Oilengine, an old 1950's Lincoln, drove up behind his bench and quickly denied any help from the bailiff. A car lift raised him up to the top of the bench, where the whole courthouse spread out before him. He took out his gavel and tapped it lightly on the podium.

"Court is in session. What is the case being presented?" Judge Oilengine asked sternly.

"The Gas Guzzler Massacre trial, your honor," the bailiff responded.

The trial had begun. The prosecution, Big Thing's attorney and the defense, Shiloh's attorney, presented their cases. Mr. Lancaster presented Shiloh as a cold-blooded murderer who had caused unjust harm to many innocent cars, and Big Thing had acted in self-defense when he assaulted Shiloh. Shiloh's attorney presented that Shiloh was un-justfully mangled and beat up by Big Thing out of spite, and insanity turned him to kill innocent cars.

Big Thing scoffed at Shiloh's attorney. He knew the Prius had no defense and, if anything, his attorney would only be able to get him a lesser sentence.

A few witnesses were brought up to speak for Shiloh. One was Blu Blaze, who claimed he and Shiloh were childhood friends who joined up together in a secret life of crime. It was learned that Shiloh had undiagnosed mental health issues, which made him go mad and start going after gas guzzlers. He also mentioned that Shiloh's Prius wife, Charlotte Verdas, wanted a divorce, which spurred Shiloh's insanity and sent him on the rampage to initiate the killings.

Big Thing chuckled under his breath. Shiloh had a wife? Someone was crazy enough to marry him? He looked around, but didn't see any car that remotely looked like her and his attention was quickly sucked back into the trial.

Both Shiloh's mother and stepfather spoke for him. His mother, Anna Verdas, was genuinely unaware of his hate, and didn't provide much to back him. While Marcus Verdas, Shiloh's stepfather spoke, he looked impatient, showing his desire to not be there. He passed off that he was not aware of his stepson's actions or plans as well. Big Thing could see Shiloh out of the corner of his eye scowling up at Marcus, clearly getting frustrated with his stepfather's spiel.

When Marcus stepped down from the stand, Mr. Lancaster raised his tire and Judge Oilengine nodded towards him. He stood before the judge.

"I have a very important witness I would like to bring forward. A witness that will back the fact that Shiloh Verdas did not act on insanity, and that this entire massacre was planned with malicious intent."

Mr. Lancaster turned towards the Tacoma and gave him a comforting smile, waiting for the judge to call him forward.

"I call Bill Rocan to the stand," the judge announced.

The Tacoma perked up at his name, driving up to the witness stand with Mr. Lancaster in tow. Bill parked at the stand, suddenly shaking from nervousness. Everyone's eyes were burning into him, suddenly making him feel ill.

"Bill Rocan, can you recall the night you and your parents were taken from your home?" Mr. Lancaster asked.

Bill froze in place for a moment, not saying a word. Big Thing knew this would be the biggest challenge he ever had to face, since he would have to relive that horrible moment over again. However, he had to talk, and stand up for the innocent lives that had been lost, including his own parents.

"Come on, Bill," Big Thing said under his breath. He looked up at the Tacoma with concerned, but pleading eyes.

Bill took a deep breath, giving himself a quick air of calm. He looked out into the crowd, focused on no one, needing only to survive the next few minutes of his story and the horrors he would have to relive again.

"It was just another night. I was in my room playing video games. My mom was downstairs in the kitchen making cookies. My dad was in his favorite spot in the living room watching a race on TV. That's when I heard the doorbell ring. It was strange, since we weren't expecting any visitors, especially that late at night. My dad went to answer it, and that's when I heard the screaming, first from my father, then my mother. I panicked, so I hid behind my bed. I didn't even have time to turn off my game. Then I heard someone come thundering up the stairs. I was trapped. Someone banged down the door and two cars got a hold of me and dragged me downstairs and outta the house. I struggled as hard as I could to get free, but I couldn't."

Bill stopped for a moment, getting caught up in the story, losing his focus, the terror he felt that night returning. Mr. Lancaster gently nudged him to continue, getting his attention back on track.

"They threw me and my parents in the back of a semi-truck, and there were other cars waiting inside. We were all so scared, and we had no idea where we were going or what was going to happen to us. I remember the truck stopping and getting other cars on the way, and then we were finally unloaded at a chicken coop. When they opened the truck, I had never felt so relieved, until I saw the cars around us were carrying guns and they started dragging us out. One grabbed me and another grabbed my parents, I went one way and they went the other…"

Bill paused, tears filling his eyes, his voice getting choked up.

"…and then they dragged us all inside the coop. He killed them both using a military rifle. I was forced to watch the whole thing. And then he threw them in the pile, with the others…"

What Bill didn't say was how he remembered hearing their wailing and screaming when Shiloh killed them, the horrible sounds of his parent's death forever imprinted in his mind. He turned away from the crowd in that moment, feeling as if we going to be sick. He caught his breath before looking at Mr. Lancaster, wanting the lawyer to save him and take him off that godforsaken stand.

The courthouse held an eerie silence. Even Judge Oilengine had nothing to say. The cars in the jury held terrified glances, both gas guzzlers and fuel efficients alike.

Bill was called down from the stand, and Mr. Lancaster tried to comfort him on the way back to the prosecution side of the courtroom. Bill parked next to Big Thing again, his eyes looking down at the ground again. For a moment he held his silence before looking up at the SUV next to him.

"Thank you," Bill whispered. Big Thing looked down at him, giving him his full attention.

"Thank you for saving my life. You're my hero," Bill said, and then quickly looked away.