Major spoilers for The Walking Dead’s season 8 mid-season finale, “How It’s Gotta Be.”

Carl Grimes is a dead man walking.

The Sanctuary’s walker problem was solved by Eugene, allowing Negan and the Saviors to escape their short-lived lockup. Negan headed to Alexandria to wreak havoc and dump a shit storm on Rick Grimes, launching a massive attack on the walled-off community.

Negan and the Saviors lobbed grenades over Alexandria’s walls, devastating the suburban neighborhood. Rick and Negan came to blows as the community took refuge in the sewers beneath Alexandria, where a severely injured Carl arrived to meet them — only to reveal he’s been bitten by a walker.

Carl Grimes is doomed to die with no way out — but viewers will have to wait until 2018 to see what happens next. Carl’s unavoidable death is the biggest deviation from Robert Kirkman’s comic books, where Carl has matured into a cold and hardened survivor.

The one-eyed teen, poised to one day take over the role as Alexandria’s leader as well as replace his old man as The Walking Dead’s main character, is still alive as of the comic book’s most recent issue — but the live-action series will have to continue on without Carl Grimes, who was one of the few-remaining survivors from as far back as Atlanta and the show’s first season in 2010.

Riggs has confirmed his exit from the show.

AMC has aired the preview for the second half of The Walking Dead season 8, which returns with a mid-season premiere ending Carl’s story in February.

The Walking Dead airs Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.

The Walking DeadSunday at 9PM EST on AMC

The Walking DeadSunday at 9PM EST on AMC

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