***Hey everyone, this may be my last update for a while. I'm going back to Masters, so all my free time will be writing for school! I do plan on finishing this story, so please stay tuned!***
Chapter 18
Big Thing looked down at the Tacoma, humbled by his words. He didn't know what to say. No one ever called him a hero and he never thought he could be one. He was always looked down upon when he was homeless, which made the feeling of being looked up to strange but welcoming at the same time.
However, now that Bill was shivering and looking at his tires, Big Thing remained quiet. As he looked on at the Tacoma, he wondered what kind of car he was like before this all happened. Was he happy? Was he naturally shy? Big Thing assumed that he would probably never know. This traumatic experience surely scared him and would change him forever. Hell, it would change everyone involved.
"Arlington, you're up next," Mr. Lancaster said, nudging him to get up to the stand. Big Thing followed right behind him and stood up on the podium. He looked out at the crowd, who looked hungry for answers. He gave Bill a lot of credit for getting up there and reliving that hell again; those eyes were piercing.
"Mr. Johnaha, can you recall the massacre and what you had witnessed?" asked Mr. Lancaster. Big Thing cringed; looks like he would have to relive this too.
He told them everything, about the dead tractors, his parent's ransacked house, the note. How he found the chicken coop and the horrors he saw. He tried to remain in control as he relived that day, trying not to slip somewhere darker in his mind. After he finished, he tried to practice the breathing exercises the doctors gave him; again, it wasn't working. He knew this trial was only going to prolong his hospital stay.
"But Mr. Johnaha, didn't you add to this massacre by almost killing Shiloh yourself? Are you any better?" Shiloh's attorney butted in, getting close to Big Thing's face as he talked. Big Thing winced. The attorney then turned to a screen that was off to the side of the room. Big Thing looked up, and what he saw made his insides turn.
There was Shiloh, his body all mangled, his teeth missing, blood and oil everywhere. There were a series of pictures that were captured at every angle right when Shiloh was brought to the hospital. The defense lawyer scrolled through each and Big Thing knew he had to look, despite how hard he wanted to turn away. He shot a quick glance at Shiloh, not even believing that the doctors were able to rebuild him back to normal again that quickly. However, he noticed that when the Prius was gritting his teeth, looking on the pictures with anger, he could see that some of his teeth were still missing.
The attorney ended the slideshow and turned to Big Thing.
"Can you explain these photos?" he was asked. Big Thing thought very carefully before speaking.
"He almost killed my father, the man I spent my years searching for, who's not even here right now because of him. I was so angry, and after all of the years of abuse I finally snapped. I went a little far," Big Thing replied. That was the truth.
"Years of abuse?" Mr. Lancaster used as a rebuttable. The attorney looked at him and scowled.
"I'm not finished here!" Shiloh's attorney spat. Judge Oilengine glared at him before looking to Mr. Lancaster.
"What did you say, Mr. Lancaster?" the judge asked.
"Years of abuse? Didn't Mr. Verdas abuse you for years when you lived on the streets, Mr. Johnaha?" Mr. Lancaster asked.
"Yes, yes he did," Big Thing said, shifting his eyes downward. Great, not another thing I have to relive again Big Thing thought. In reality, that time in Houston felt so long ago.
"So tell me, Mr. Johnaha, with the images I'm about to show you, can you verify that Mr. Verdas did this to you?" Mr. Lancaster asked. He too was ready to fight fire with fire. He threw images up on the screen, and what Big Thing saw made him feel even worse than looking at Shiloh's mangled body.
It was him.
His body was covered in deep scratches and dents. One picture showed him with a black eye. He had cuts on his face, his bumpers warped, crunched in metal and a body that was thin and sickly looking. He had no idea what he had looked like in those days, but he knew he didn't want to know. He looked over at Shiloh, who held an unemotional gaze at the photos, as if seeing the images didn't faze him in the slightest. He felt his anger festering inside him. He knew Shiloh did all of these things to him, abused him, made him feel less than dirt and didn't care. He turned to Mr. Lancaster.
"Where did you get these photos?" Big Thing asked defensively.
"Dr. Richard Delgano, the doctor in the town of Clay, Texas. He was so horrified by your appearance when you came into town that he took these pictures. When he gave them to me, he told me he knew these were not self-caused damage or wounds. Someone hurt you, and I have more proof that someone was Shiloh," Mr. Lancaster stated, then brought up another visual on the screen. This time it was a street cam video.
There he was, backing into an alleyway corner. And there were Shiloh and Blu Blaze, taking turns beating him up for the whole court to see. Big Thing was trying to fight them off, but back then he was too weak to do anything. He wanted to turn away, not wanting to watch, because he remembered that day and how defenseless he felt. This event occurred only a few days before they tried to murder him, when he could feel that tension and abuse towards him escalating.
The court remained silent, in awe. Shiloh looked like he was ready to jump out of his spot. How could anyone have captured his heinous act on camera? Maddie had her teeth gritted; Big Thing had never seen her look so angry. Bill was watching too, his eyes wide, seeing his hero share the same abuser as him.
Mr. Lancaster turned off the video, staring down the attorney. The attorney tried not to look awestruck, as he was internally fighting for a comeback to the evidence shown. Mr. Lancaster turned back to Big Thing.
"Based on what you have seen, Mr. Johnaha, would you say that Mr. Verdas acted on insanity? How does this make you feel?" he asked.
Big Thing looked directly into Mr. Lancaster's eyes. He knew what he had to say, even though he didn't want to say it.
"He abused and harassed me from day one. He ruined my life. He tried to murder me one night, which is why I ran away and ended up in Clay. He hates gas guzzlers and wants to eliminate them all. Everything that resulted from this massacre was years of planning and practicing on me. He followed me to Clay and I have witnesses who saw me chase him and Blu Blaze out of town. He told me I was going to be his first victim in his plan…I…" Big Thing stopped, as Mr. Lancaster instructed him to.
"That's enough of an explanation, Arlington, thank you. As you can see, Mr. Johnaha lashed out at his abuser once he felt that Shiloh was taking away one of his life's only hopes, his parents. Judge Oilengine, anything else?" he asked.
The judge shook his hood. He motioned to the other attorney to speak, but for once he had nothing. Not long after, the court was dismissed.
As Big Thing was being escorted back to the hospital and being led out of the courtroom, Maddie quickly joined up with him.
"Can I speak to my son for a moment please?" she asked his escorts, looking impatient. They looked at her, shrugged and nodded yes, driving off to the side quickly for mother and son to have a private conversation.
"Arlington, how could you have let them do that to you? Why didn't you stand up for yourself?" Maddie asked, looking hurt by the fact that someone had clearly taken advantage of her son from the evidence she saw in the courtroom.
Big Thing's eyes shifted down, feeling ashamed.
"Mom, I don't think I ever told you this. But when I was living on those streets, I felt worthless, was worthless. There was nothing for me to fight for. My life didn't hold any value, to me or anyone else…" he was going to continue until his mother interrupted him.
"Worthless? That's far from the truth, and you know that!" Maddie exclaimed.
Big Thing sighed a bit, out of frustration and sadness. He knew his mother wasn't in his tires and was only thinking in the now. Even though he had tried to put his rough past behind, all the trial was accomplishing was resurfacing it and putting salt in his old wounds. He didn't want to tell her, but it was better that she knew and let those demons resurface now rather than later.
"But I was. I had no one. No one to talk to, no one to support me. I had only me and the need to survive. Plus, Shiloh didn't make it any better, he…" Big Thing paused, knowing his next words would hurt her.
"He always said that my parents didn't love me and that's why they dumped me on the streets. They could care less about me. How could anyone ever love someone like me? A dirty worthless gas guzzler no one wanted. I heard that for years and I really did believe it."
Maddie looked on at him, dumfounded. He knew that wasn't the truth at all anymore, but with everything happening, it hurt that much more to think about. He knew he needed to be alone then.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry for everything. I think this whole situation has made us feel worthless, turned our family inside-out. I just…I just need to get back to the hospital; I need to be better," he said. Turning to his escorts, Big Thing asked them to drive back to the hospital. They obliged and as Big Thing went to stay at the hospital for the night, he could see his mother in his side view mirror with her hood lowered, eyes full of regret. Instantly he felt a pang of hurt inside him, knowing that he only wanted the best for his family. He wanted to be strong, like he always been, but after today he couldn't be now. He turned back and could say the only thing that would reassure her and make him feel a bit better too.
"I love you, Mom," Big Thing said softly before turning away, following his escorts. He saw her hood perk up, but before she could say anything, Big Thing was dragged away.
As they exited the courthouse and headed out into the night, ready to get back on the road, Big Thing saw a shadowy figure standing not too far away from the courthouse entrance. As they passed, Big Thing squinted, seeing if he could identify who it was, and if he should be concerned. His old street senses kicked in as he felt his defenses go up, ready to protect himself if need be.
As he looked closer, he recognized who is was. He told his escorts to halt.
"Asphalt?" Big Thing called out.
The shadowy figure came towards him and it was none other than Asphalt. The semi-truck who spurred him to search for his parents, the truck who knew so much about him and had similar struggles to him. Oddly, it was refreshing to see him, especially after everything that happened.
However, this time he looked different. He remembered last time the semi had that distinct serious, stern gaze, one of knowledge and deep understanding. This time, he looked hollow and grim. His eyes were bloodshot. His paint had dulled, as if he had stopped taking care of himself.
"Arlington. You finally found what you were looking for," Asphalt remarked as he parked in front of Big Thing.
"Yes, yes I did, but I couldn't have done it without you," Big Thing replied gratefully. He paused, looking up at Asphalt, concerned what had happened to him, why he seemed full of despair.
"Asphalt, is everything alright? You look…" Big Thing started, but Asphalt halted his words.
"They killed her, Arlington. My search is over," he said, almost at a whisper, as if the words he uttered pained him.
Big Thing didn't respond for a moment. He pondered, thinking back to everything that Asphalt told him about his missing lover. That eerie night when they first met flooded back to him. He tried to picture the truck in his mind, and then he froze.
That was her. The semi that transported all of the gas guzzlers to the SUV massacre. They killed her. Asphalt's lover, his only hope, was ripped from him in the most grueling way.
Big Thing lowered his eyes, shamefully. He knew that she was the first one that Shiloh had killed off. He took a quick breath before looking up at Asphalt.
"Asphalt, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to find her this way."
Asphalt looked away from Big Thing.
"Not the way I wanted it, not the way I thought it would happen. I never got to say good-bye," Asphalt stated gloomily.
Big Thing didn't know what else to say. He knew nothing would ever heal the pain Asphalt was experiencing, except time. All he could do was offer the semi was some comfort if he wanted it.
"Asphalt, where will you go now? If you need to, you can come back to Clay. Me and the townsfolk will take care of you," Big Thing offered. The semi looked at him sadly and shook his hood.
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I have the open road to take care of me, but thank you for your offer," Asphalt responded.
"Well, you know where we are if you need anything," Big Thing said gently. The semi acknowledged by nodding his hood.
"Well, the road is calling. Best of luck with everything, Arlington. Best of luck on your next journey," Asphalt said. He revved up his semi engine and before Big Thing could say anything else, Asphalt drove away. His chrome and chickenlights faded off in the distance, disappearing into the night.
Big Thing sighed. He was ready to head in for the night, finally. He directed his escorts to take him back to the hospital. As they drove along, he hoped that Asphalt would be alright. He knew this would be a hard blow to recover from, especially if he had support from no one, even if he had offered. He knew that if his parents had died, he too would be in the same situation.
Two weeks later, while helplessly watching the news again after a long day in court, Big Thing saw a headline pop up on the TV that instantly made him feel sick. There was a semi-truck that drove over an embankment and had crashed into the river below, not too far outside Dallas. No one noticed the body until two days after the crash. The truck had ended up dying from the impact of the fall and lying hood-first in the river. The police had deemed it a suicide.
It was Asphalt.