Beloved character dies in 'Walking Dead' mid-season finale

Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Sunday's mid-season finale of The Walking Dead saw the demise of another beloved character.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

Hilltop leader Jesus (played by Tom Payne) was trying to save his friends Eugene (played by Josh McDermitt) and Aaron (played by Ross Marquand) from a particularly aggressive pack of walkers that appear able to speak when Jesus was stabbed by a zombie that told him, "You are where you do not belong."

After the battle, latecomers Michonne (played by Danai Gurira) and Daryl (played by Norman Reedus) looked closer at the walkers they killed and realized they were actually humans wearing the skins of the undead.

Another major development in the show was the escape of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's villainous Negan. Imprisoned for murder for years, he slipped out of his cell during the night when the door was left unlocked.

A trailer for an upcoming episode implied he will return to his old stomping grounds at the Sanctuary compound.

Season 9 is to continue in February. The first half of the season also saw the departures of longtime cast members Andrew Lincoln and Lauren Cohan, who played Rick and Maggie respectively.

What does this mean?? #TWD pic.twitter.com/u6tdAZ8OML

— The Walking Dead AMC (@WalkingDead_AMC) November 26, 2018