Los exorcistas (The Exorcists)

"Los exorcistas" by Curtis Garland presents the opening chapter of a horror serial set in Yorkshire. The narrative follows Barney Gregson, a man traversing fog-shrouded marshlands at night after leaving Mulligan's tavern. Hearing mysterious sounds, Gregson encounters a cloaked figure with long hair that, when illuminated, reveals a grotesque, inhuman face—emaciated claws, diseased skin covered in sores, and a demonic laugh. The creature attacks Gregson savagely, tearing at his throat. Constable Herb Cummings, arriving moments later, finds Gregson dead and pursues the fleeing figure into the mist, losing the trail near Doctor Treadwell's manor. The opening establishes a Gothic atmosphere blending psychological horror with explicit violence, introducing both the mysterious creature and local authority figures beginning to investigate the crime.