The Walking Dead season 7 episode 8: All you need to know about the midseason finale post-credits scene

*Major spoilers for 'Hearts Still Beating' below*

The first half of The Walking Dead season 7 has drawn to a close with a chaotic midseason finale which - as expected - was something of a bloodbath.

'Hearts Still Beating' caught up with all the characters across varying locations including Carol (Melissa McBride) and Morgan (Lennie James) at the Kingdom as well as Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Sasha (Sonequa Martin-Green) at the Hilltop Colony.

While the episode's main events took place at Alexandria - where Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) continued to make his mark - earlier scenes saw Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Aaron (Ross Marquand) make their way across walker-infested waters to reach a fort filled weapons while out on a scavenging hunt for the Saviours.

As they were leaving, however, an ominous shot saw an unknown figure watching them from afar, the camera only opting to show the unseen person's patterned boots.

This character returned in a chilling post-credits scene which saw them just outside the walls of Alexandria having presumably followed Rick and Aaron back. Again, we don't see the character's face - instead, we see them holding binoculars up to their face, observing Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) on his night watch from afar before disappearing into the woods.

So, who could this be?

The common thought that immediately sprung to fans' minds is a member of a group known as the Whisperers. A prevalent force in the comic book series, their eventual appearance has been teased by writer Robert Kirkman although introducing them while the Saviours' storyline is in full swing would be an unexpected move.

Other fans are guessing it could be Dwight (Austin Amelio) or Simon (Steven Ogg), Negan's aides who were absent from the episode; while it seems the latter is loyal to his leader, Dwight has been showcasing some subtle hints of rebellion over the preceding seven episodes - with Negan absent from the Sanctuary, perhaps Dwight's been working out a plan of action surrounding his possible betrayal.

A more out-there shout is Cyndie (Sydney Park), the member of Oceanside that set Tara (Alanna Masterson) free in episode six. It would make sense for her character to want to check whether her group posed any kind of threat. With the all-out-war story strand now in motion, it could be a move from the writers to present the community as another force to assist in overcoming Negan.

Other outside bets include Heath, the character whose fate was left open-ended following actor Corey Hawkins' appointment in upcoming series 24: Legacy, or even Carol who may be on some rogue mission of her own (the character's get-up has a striking resemblance to the outfit she wore while slaying Wolves in Alexandria back in season five).

Chris Hardwick, host of discussion show The Talking Dead, quizzed Kirkman on the person's identity, who stated: "I really wish I could tell you.

"All I can say is that those boots, you'll definitely recognize those from earlier - they're connected to that boat scene - and you know, that's a big part of what we're dealing with when we come back next half of the season, so we'll be revealing that soon. It's going to be a great half season."

This being The Walking Dead, we probably won't find out until at least the end of this season which will return to television screens in February; these were the episode's five major talking points which lists the characters that didn't make it out alive.

The midseason finale airs in the UK on FOX, Monday at 9pm.