Charles, the lead bum, steps in between the two women before either can say anything and commands "You'll both only serve me and do everything I say."
Tanya and the gypsy woman, both ready to take command of the other, stare at one another shell shocked.
The man who came into the store with the gypsy woman steps forward and grabs the bum by his tattered coat collar, "You can't do that. Release her."
Charles looks the man in the eyes and says directly into his face, breath stinking with alcohol and rotten teeth, "I think I just did. Girls, protect me."
The gypsy woman slides off the bottle she'd been pushing into herself with a -slurp- while Tanya stands up and grabs the man.
"Get the fuck off me slut," he says letting go of the bum and shoving Tanya.
The gypsy woman stands up behind him with the bottle in hand. "Sorry lover, I have no choice" she says smashing the bottle over his head. He collapses on the floor as blood trickles down his face.
Charles and the other bums laugh. "Good girls, from this day forward you'll be slaves to the streets. Now follow us."
The bums lead the girls out of the liquor store and down a back alley. They pull aside a manhole cover and climb down. Tanya and the gypsy woman follow obediently. After walking for nearly an hour through sewer water and sludge they arrive at what appears to be an old, abandoned subway station. There are dozens of structures made from discarded or stolen construction materials. Men and women dressed in rags sit around fires talking or cooking strange meat on sticks. The occasional stray dog darts through the make-shift buildings.
Charles turn to his mind-controlled pets and spreads his arms to the sky, "Welcome to the Hobo Kingdom! From this day forward you will serve anyone who lives here without question and...you will love every minute of it."
Tanya feels the emotions of sorrow and disgust that had been overwhelming her start to fade. A smile crept across her face as her heart filled with love for Hobo Kingdom and it's people.
The bum pointed to Tanya and said, "Your name is Slut. You'll only respond to that name. You'll forget you ever had any other name."
Slut feels a flicker of resistance in the back of her head as nearly two decades of memories where she was referred to as "Tanya" are rewritten in her mind. She tries to hang on to what she can. She thinks of the last time she called the grandmother she was named after. She loses it and hears the memory echo "Oh, Slut, it's so nice to hear your voice." The last whisper of the name "Tanya" melts away.
He points to the gypsy woman, "And your name is Whore. You'll only respond to that name and forget you ever had any other."
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