Hell, the land of the Damned, a chaotic world where the strong prey on the weak, subjugating souls over their wills. And nobody knew this rule better than the Sovereign Overlords of Hell, Sinners who went high up the hierarchy of Hell, collecting souls and spreading fear, basically being mob bosses.

And among this elite of Demons, there was one Sinner in particular… Alastor, the Overlord of Radio.

Also known as the “Radio Demon”, he manifested in Hell after he died in 1933 and in a matter of days he annihilated the status quo, kidnapping other Overlords, torturing them and broadcasting their screams of terror to the entire realm. By doing that, he became fear, a legend, a man nobody dared to challenge.

Who would have thought, such a terrifying person…Would become the kind caretaker of a family of eleven children?

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One day, in Michigan, a middle-aged man with short white hair and black eyes was looking for something in the attic of his house.

“There it is…” He said to himself, after finding a dusty grey book. He followed the instructions and drew an odd-looking circle, decorated with several candles.

“Hope it works…” He began to recite the spell.

Smoke appeared, the circle glowed and then...Alastor appeared in front of the man. He was much taller than him, probably 2 metres tall, and had deer-like features, like the antlers and the ears that looked like they were part of his hair. While his outfit was normal, a slightly tattered red-striped suit, the man was most frightened by the demon’s permanent ear-to-ear smile.

“Why, hello there!” Alastor spoke with a mid-Atlantic accent. “The name’s Alastor, pleasure to be meeting you, quite the pleasure! You are?”

“Huh…Albert.” Albert introduced himself.

“Well, Albert,” Alastor fixed his bowtie. “What can I do for you? Surely you didn’t do something as dangerous as summoning a demon out of boredom.”

“You see, it’s about my daughter,” said Albert. “She’s getting married in a week.”

“Oh ho! Now that’s interesting!” Alastor chuckled. “What do you want me to do? Forcing him to break up with your daughter? Kidnap him? Torturing and broadcasting his screams to his parents?!”

“What?! No! Nothing like that!” Albert shook his head.

“Oh, my apologies, then,” said Alastor. “Explain then, anything you ask, I can do it!”

“Well, Lynn, my soon son-in-law, is a good guy. But…I’m a bit worried and I don’t know why.”

“So, you want me to keep an eye on them?” Alastor asked.

Albert nodded. “Just help them where you can, same with their children in the future. Can you do that?”

“But of course I can! It’s easier than the tasks many people asked me!” said Alastor. “But of course, you need to pay for my services…”

“If you wanna my soul, fine, I’m not scared,” said Albert, determined.

Alastor laughed. “Oh, you sure have got guts, haven’t you, Albert? You know what, I’ll do it for you for free!”

“...Really?” Albert raised an eyebrow.

“Yes indeedy! Your courage amused me, besides, I need too a vacation once in a while.” 

Alastor offered Albert a handshake, his hand began sinisterly glowing green. “So…It’s a deal, then?”

“Deal.” Albert shook Alastor’s hand, the light became brighter.

The demon chuckled. “See you soon…” He vanished into his shadows.

Albert wondered if Alastor would maintain his promise or not, but the only thing he could do was trust him.

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However, you could say anything about Alastor, but one of his few redeemable traits is that he’s a man of his word.

As Albert’s daughter, Rita, married Lynn Loud, Alastor observed the newly-wed couple from a safe distance, not wanting to reveal to the two unless it’s needed. He even created an extra room in the house that only he can have access to, while for everyone it’s invisible.

As the years passed, the Loud family gained more members and he revealed himself for the first time, it was composed of 5 daughters and one baby boy.

How did this first meeting go? Well, it all started thanks to the curiosity of the eldest of the Loud siblings, Lori.

While sometimes acting bossy (and that behaviour became worse with years passing), the then-7-year-old Lori was a sweet and caring girl, but one would admit that her sisters are rather tiring to deal with. One day, she was looking for a place where she could do her homework alone in peace (since her room was shared with the second eldest of the Loud siblings, Leni, who wasn’t the smartest tool in the shed).

But while going upstairs, she noticed something odd: A red door. The little girl was confused, she was sure that door wasn’t there before. She wanted to go tell her parents about it but driven by curiosity, she headed to that door. The more she was close to the door, the more the atmosphere became heavy and eerie. She was getting scared but wanted to continue.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Lori opened the door, revealing a room she’d never seen before.

Despite the eerie feeling from before, it was quite the cosy burgundy room, with jazz music playing from a radio, Lori felt like she was in another world.

She stepped inside, looking around with amazement until she heard a mysterious radiophonic voice.

“You shouldn’t snoop around a stranger’s room, my dear.”

Lori flinched.

“Oh, relax, I’m not going to eat you! You’re too young!” Alastor chuckled.

“Who…Who are you? What are you doing in our house?!” Lori slightly panicked.

“I’m Alastor, pleasure to be meeting you, sweetheart, quite the pleasure!” Alastor handshook the child, as a distorted instrumental version of “Let’s Misbehave” was played. “And as for why I’m here, I live here !”

“You…Live here?” Lori tilted her head.

“Precisely! Let’s say…I was tasked to…Help your parents with dealing with you and your siblings.”

“But…Why?” Lori asked.

“Whoever hired me must be really fond of you, darling!” Alastor kneeled to Lori’s height. “Say, what’s your name?”

“Lori.” Lori introduced herself.

“Well, Lori, do you mind calling your parents? I need to talk to them.” said Alastor, “I’ll follow you in a minute, chop-chop!”

“Alright…” Lori went back to the door.

The Demon noticed how the girl was trembling “Oh, relax, It’s not like I’m gonna eat you! I’m not a fan of tender meat!” He chuckled.

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Lori went downstairs at a fast speed. She went to the kitchen, where she found Lynn Sr. and Rita talking. 

“Mum! Dad!” She started, panicking. “There’s a demon in our house!”

“A demon?” Lynn Sr. repeated.

“Have you watched a horror movie before going to bed yesterday? You know you’re too young for those!”

“Wha-No! There’s a real demon living in our house!” said Lori, “He’s all red and is always smiling!”

“Your demon friend must be nice if he likes to smile,” said Rita with a rather condescending tone.

“It’s literally the truth! Come and see him at least, he’s upstairs!” Lori begged.

“Alright, I’ll come,” said Lynn Sr. “But don’t worry, Lori, there is no such thing as a demo-”

“HEL-”

“AAAH!” Lynn Sr. screamed and fainted.

“-LO!” Alastor finished his sentence.

“Dear, are you okay?!” Rita was preoccupied. Her attention turned to the Radio Demon, who stood there, seemingly amused. “Who…Are you?”

“I’m Alastor, the demon your daughter talked about. You must be Rita,” said Alastor calmly. 

“How do you know my name?” Rita asked.

“It's a long story, a rather fun one.” Alastor chuckled. “But first, let's talk about business, shall we?” 

Alastor snapped his fingers and two cups, one of tea and one of coffee appeared out of nowhere on the table. He turned to Lori, “Lori, dear, would you mind bringing your other siblings to the living room? I'd like to meet them.”

Lori, still unsure about Alastor, glanced at her mother.

“...Do as he says,” Rita replied.

“Okay…” said Lori.

“Attagirl!” Alastor gently ruffled Lori's hair as she went away.

In the minutes Lori was away, a suffocating tension fell in the kitchen, or at least, for Rita.

Every single fibre of her body was screaming to not trust the Radio Demon. His inhuman features, the red eyes, the dear ears and horns, and that damned wide smile…Everything about him screamed bad news. 

However…He might actually not have hostile intentions.

Rita took a deep breath and tried to reason, if Alastor really wanted to hurt anyone, he would have hurt Lori already when they were alone.

“I see you're trying to see if I want to hurt your children or not.” Alastor interrupted the woman's train of thought. “As I said to Lori, I'm not gonna do anything bad to them. In fact, I'm here for the opposite reason.”

“Who…Sent you here?” Rita asked.

“Your father did.” Alastor sipped his coffee. “He thought that you and your husband could need some extra help in dealing with the children, so here I am.”

“Dad summoned a demon?!” Rita was shocked.

“Correct!” said Alastor, “I assure you, dear, that I will do an excellent job with the little ones. I was a radio host when I was alive, so I know how to entertain an audience, young or old!”

“Alive?” Rita repeated.

“That's what I said.” said Alastor, “I was a human once, just like you. But that's no matter, I'm sure we'll get along tremendously. Think of me as a…What was her name…That magic English nanny. Mar…Mar…”

“Mary Poppins?” 

“Yes, her!” said Alastor, “Think of me as a demonic Mary Poppins!”

Lynn Sr regained consciousness. “Ugh…What happened?”

“Dear, this is Alastor, he'll…Help us with the kids,” said Rita.

“You must be Lynn, pleasure to be meeting you.” Alastor helped Lynn Sr stand up. “Now then, let's go to the living room, I don't want to have my young audience wait for too long!”

Lynn Sr whispered to his wife. “Are you sure you want him around the kids, honey? He's a monster!” 

“I don't think we have much choice, honestly.” said Rita, “Besides, maybe he's actually nice. He didn't harm Lori when he had the chance.” 

“Are you coming or not?” said Alastor from the other.

Rita and Lynn Sr went to the living room, where the other Loud kids and Alastor were waiting for them.

“Now, Rita, would you mind introducing your children?” said Alastor.

“Okay, you already met the oldest, Lori.” said Rita, “The others, from the oldest to the youngest, are Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn Jr and-”

Alastor felt something pulling his coat. He glanced and saw a baby boy with short white hair giggling.

“Lincoln!” Lori pulled the baby away. “Leave him alone!”

Alastor chuckled, “The youngest one, I presume.” He kneeled to the baby’s height. “Hello there, little fellow! I hope we’ll get along!” He ruffled Lincoln’s hair, causing him to giggle.

The demon turned to the girls. “And as for you all. I am Alastor, from now on I’ll be your guy, your day-to-day, your chum, your steadfast hotelier!” He laughed.

“Are those deer ears?” Leni, a blonde little girl wearing a green t-shirt, brown shorts and a pair of sunglasses too large for a child, asked. “Oh! Can I touch them?”

“I’m afraid not, my dear, your hands simply can’t reach,” said Alastor. “Perhaps when you get taller.”

“I like your accent!” said Luna, an elegant-looking girl with long brown hair.

“Why, thank you!” said Alastor, laughing. “Oh, I can feel it! This is going to be very entertaining!”

And so, that’s how it began, the time Alastor took care of several kids. As time passed, the Loud family became larger, eventually having a grand total of 11 children.

Not that Alastor minded it: In fact, he loved his new “job”, he enjoyed the chaotic everyday life in that household, and it was much better than being in Hell, despite himself having a privileged status down there as an Overlord. 

What wacky misadventures will this family face? And most importantly…Will these kids grow up fine with having a demon in their house? Well, folks…

S̷͙͓͓͔̻̖͎̱̳̈́̏̉̈̓̾́ͅͅt̵͙͂̿̒̓̎̂̿̔̏̊́̚â̷̟͈̼̞̰̰̰̏̽̈́̋͌̅̽͘͘ȳ̴͎̘̞̿̋̏͑ ̷̢̛̰̜̮̬͍̙͕͖̰͖̬̪͍͊̓̓̏͛͋̃̀t̸̳͙̥͌͝͠ù̶̡̲̘̼̩̭̠̯̬̦̳̓̓̕̚͜n̶̡̧̩̻͚͙̲̮͔̣͆̀͌́͆̂̋͌̈́͛͊̊ȇ̷̝͕̩̪̞̟̲̻̘͑̊͋͆̀d̶͙̜̯̱̦̭͕͚̀͆̐͛̓̐̎̈́̚͘̕͠͝͝͝.̵̨͕̳̠̜̩̫͕̗̠̝̠̋͐͊͛̈͜.̵̡̻̭̗̼͔̯̤̯͎͇̩̝̥̀̀͜.̸̡̹͖̫̭̻͕̹͖͉̘̣̳̑̏͗̎̉̄͐̊͋̄͝͝

<-----To Be Continued---------