The Haunting of Hellfire Hill (Part 1)

It was a sunny Saturday morning when the doorbell rang at Billy's house. He raced down the stairs, his Spider-Man pajamas still on, and flung open the door. There stood his three best friends - Mike, Samantha, and Rudy.

"Are you ready for the greatest adventure of our lives?" Mike asked with a big grin, clutching a battered old map.

"You know it!" Billy exclaimed, scrambling to get his shoes on. "My mom packed us a bunch of snacks and supplies for our treasure hunt."

The four 12-year-olds, who had dubbed themselves "The Crypt Kickers" after their mutual love of spooky stuff, had been pouring over the ancient map for weeks. It showed a big red X marking "Hellfire Hill" just on the outskirts of town, promising buried riches for anyone brave enough to dig them up.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the looming peak, equipped with shovels, snacks, and a boom box blasting their favorite metal music to keep their courage up. A rusty old sign at the base of the hill read: "TURN BACK - DANGER!"

"Like that's going to stop us!" Samantha scoffed, brandishing her shovel. "Let's get digging, Crypt Kickers!"

They hiked about halfway up the hill before Mike stopped them, studying the map intently.

"According to these notes, we need to start digging right...here!" he proclaimed, sticking his shovel into the ground.

For the next hour, the four friends dug and dug, swapping out with each other to rest their aching arms. Just as they were about to give up, Billy's shovel struck something hard.

"Guys! I think I hit something!" he shouted excitedly. They cleared away the remaining dirt to reveal a creaking old wooden chest.

"We did it! We actually found the treasure!" Rudy cheered, doing a little victory dance.

But as soon as they opened the chest, a ghostly green mist poured out, swirling around them. The sky seemed to grow darker as booming laughter echoed all around.

Suddenly, three towering figures emerged from the mist. They looked like horrific demons - red skin, giant horns, wings, and leering fangs.

"Well, well, what have we here?" one of the demons boomed in a voice that shook the ground. "Some pesky kids meddling where they shouldn't!"

"I am Bezleydroth, Lord of the Eternal Pit!" the demon continued with a hellish grin. "And these are my brothers, Cakafrax and Volkmyrax!"

"And you dared to awaken us from our slumber!" Cakafrax bellowed, rearing up to his full terrifying height.

Volkmyrax just growled menacingly, his fangs glistening as his beady eyes locked on the kids.

The Crypt Kickers cowered together, frozen in fear. Never in their wildest dreams did they expect to encounter actual demons while treasure hunting!

"P-p-please don't eat us, Mr. Demons!" Billy stammered out. "We were just looking for a little buried treasure for fun!"

"Fun?!" Bezleydroth let out a demonic chuckle that chilled the kids' bones. "You think plundering the sacred Hellfire Hoard is a game?! This treasure belongs to the Dread Lords of the Underworld like myself!"

The three demon brothers began slowly circling closer, licking their lipless mouths hungrily. Samantha was the first one to find her voice.

"Uh...maybe we got off on the wrong foot here. M-maybe we can work out a deal?" she suggested in a quavering voice. She pulled out her backpack and started rummaging through it, finally holding up a crumpled paper bag.

"Ta-da! Smore supplies! If we make you some smores, can we go our separate ways? No hard feelings?"

The demons paused their advance and peered at the bag of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate bars with blank expressions. Then, as one, they threw back their horned heads and let out another booming laugh that seemed to shake the whole hill.

"You pathetic fool!" Cakafrax bellowed with dark mirth. "As if the Lords of the Eternal Sulfur Pits would be tempted by your paltry human snacks!"

"Yeah, it was worth a shot," Samantha muttered, shoving the bag back into her bag dejectedly.

"Aww man, we're gonna be demon chow!" Mike groaned. "I can't believe we're going out like this before I even hit puberty!"

Bezleydroth licked his fangs again, his yellow eyes gleaming cruelly.

"Lucky for you morsels, we were not summoned to feast upon your souls...this time. We were to guard the Hellfire Hoard until the day it is reclaimed by a dark master worthy of its unholy power!"

He gestured to the now-open chest, which seemed to be filled with ancient scrolls, books, and sinister-looking talismans writhing with energy.

"Wait...so you're not gonna eat us?" Billy asked hopefully. "We can just go?"

The three demons looked almost deflated at this question.

"Well...I suppose so. If you vow never to return or speak of what you have witnessed!" Volkmyrax growled, still flexing his curved claws menacingly.

"Oh thank goodness!" Rudy breathed a big sigh of relief. "We promise, we promise! See you never, you big lugs!"

And with that, the four kids dropped their shovels and scrambled back down the hill, never looking back. Once they were a safe distance away, Mike turned back towards Hellfire Hill and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"NEXT TIME TRY DRESSING UP AS KILLER RABBIT TO REALLY SELL THE BIT, YOU DORKS!" he shouted with a cheeky smile.

There was a long pause, then a deafening roar of outrage from the hill that shook the ground like an earthquake. The Crypt Kickers just laughed and kept on running...

Unaware that a pair of sinister yellow eyes was watching them from the shadows, quietly chuckling to itself.

"Foolish children...they have no idea what forces they've unleashed today. The Night Defilers will have their unholy prize..."

To be continued?