‘Walking Dead’ releases first 4 minutes of midseason premiere

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Tense, four-minute clip shows trio of survivors stopped by Negan's crew

Midseason premiere of "The Walking Dead" airs Sunday on AMC

CNN  — 

AMC has released the first four minutes of the midseason premiere of “The Walking Dead,” bringing fans of the show closer to the reveal of major bad guy Negan.

The scene comes after zombies overrun the Alexandria camp where the survivors had been living and expands on a brief glimpse shown in the trailer at the end of the fall finale in November.

In the clip, Daryl, Abraham and Sasha are waylaid by a gang of bikers blocking the road.

But these aren’t just any goons. They turn out to be muscle employed by “Walking Dead” big bad Negan, a particularly brutal character as written in the comic books on which the series is based.

The lead biker orders the trio to hand over their weapons.

“Why should we?” Daryl asks.

“Well, they’re not yours,” the biker answers.

“Whose are they?” Sasha asks.

“Your property now belongs to Negan,” the biker answers ominously.

But for fans hoping for more details on Negan and his plans for the survivors, you’ll just have to wait. When Sasha asks, “Who are you people?” few answers are coming.

“I get the curiosity, but we have questions ourselves,” the biker says. “And we’ll be the ones asking them while we drive you back to wherever it is you call home, take a gander at where you hang your hats.”

The scene ends in yet another cliffhanger, with the biker pointing pistols at Sasha and Abraham after sending one of his goons to hustle Daryl to the back of the truck to search it.

The full episode airs Sunday.

Fans were, shall we say, enthused.

“Can’t wait for walking dead Sunday and to finally introduce Negan,” one fan wrote on Twitter. “He makes the Governor look like a day care employee,”

But the excitement comes with the usual angst over the fate of the show’s beloved characters.

“I’m so ready for walking dead to be back yet I’m terrified for my babies,” another Twitter user wrote. “Swear to god if Negan touches Glenn I’m out.”