Excerpt: The Last Prophet

The man now seemed impotent with anger but said nothing. He looked at TK for a few moments, then looked at David. He shook his head, muttered, “Mistakes, snakes and vipers the lot. A failure, the lot... Spies, when the spies aren't around, when they listen, when they're gone I'll...” He turned down towards the trail and resumed walking. He did not look back before disappearing around the bend in the trail.
David knew nothing was safe about following the man, especially as agitated as he was around TK. If there was some way he could talk to him without TK around he might be more willing to share what he had to say. That an David got the impression that the man whoever he was wasn't going to say anything too revealing while TK was around, that is unless TK was right and the man was just using David's curiosity to lure someone from the institute into the woods for revenge. Despite the nearly unbearable curiosity, David decided it wasn't worth the risk and made his way back towards the paved trail where TK was standing. A thought occurred to him however, and he turned and called out, “Who are you?”
The man, from somewhere now unseen called back to him. “I am no one anymore. Call me the Sneak. Leave with the spy; if you come back here with him, he's not coming back out. And don't think of...just go.” The man was about to say something more but didn't. Instead, David heard him run off into the woods.