Heartbreaking Walking Dead Photos Tease Carl’s Goodbye

The Walking Dead fans have just a few more days to prepare themselves for what’s sure to be a hugely emotional midseason premiere.

The last episode that aired before the winter break left viewers with their jaws on the ground when the final moments revealed that Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) had fallen prey to a walker bite, meaning the fan favorite character’s time on the show is almost up. Now, these new promo photos give us a glimpse of what’s in store for Carl’s swansong episode… and they indicate that it’s going to be pretty damn heartbreaking.

It appears as if the upcoming installment will spool back slightly to reveal how Carl got his fatal wound, as we’ll find out just what happened when he guided Siddiq (Avi Nash) to Alexandria through the sewers. Once back home, it looks like he left some farewell notes to his loved ones and played with his little sister Judith for the final time, even taking a few selfies with her for his family to remember him by.

Meanwhile, in the present day, we see that Carl will succumb to his wounds while Michonne (Daria Gurira) holds his hand and his father Rick (Andrew Lincoln) watches on. No, you’re crying! OK, fair enough, we’re all crying.

Elsewhere, the photos reveal that the midseason premiere won’t be a bottle episode entirely focused on the young Grimes but will also check in on Morgan (Lennie James), Carol (Melissa McBride) and Ezekiel (Khary Payton) as well. Though we already knew that Morgan would feature, of course, as a preview clip dropped last week and showed the character escaping from a showdown with the Saviors.

The Walking Dead will return for episode 8×09, titled “Honor,” this Sunday, February 25th. To commemorate the death of one of the show’s most important characters up to this point, it’s set to be an extended installment, too – coming it at 82 minutes.