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Compared to the explosive midseason finale that saw Hershel beheaded and the Governor shot in the face, the second half of "The Walking Dead" season four featured a relatively low body count. But that won't be the case for much longer.

When "Walking Dead" returns in the fall, fans can expect a faster, more intense season right from the jump — not a surprise, considering where things left off: Rick Grimes and his companions have been imprisoned in Terminus, a place that, on the outside, appeared to be a sanctuary, but in actuality is a prison camp run by men and women who are almost surely cannibals.

Robert Kirkman, creator of the "Walking Dead" comics and executive producer of the show, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about what fans can expect from season five, including the possibility of a higher body count than seen in recent episodes.

"We did pull back on the reins a little bit at the end of season four," he admitted. "We're definitely going to hit the ground running for season five and we really don't let up very quickly at all. It's going to be a pretty fast-paced, intense season."

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.

One recent rumor coming from the "Walking Dead" set suggests that an original member of the cast won't survive for very much longer: Glenn Rhee, the scrappy former pizza delivery boy played by Steven Yeun. A couple of weeks ago, rumors circulated that Glenn's death scene was already filmed. Kirkman, of course, would not confirm or deny the rumor, except to say that he loves that kind of fan chatter.

"I absolutely love it," he said. "It means people care and people are paying attention. So keep those rumors flying!"

Whether Glenn dies or not, and whether the show remains in the clutches of Terminus, Kirkman promised that there's only one certainty about the future of "Walking Dead" — change is afoot.

"There's never a formula," he said about the show that's rumored to have plans through twelve seasons. "We're certainly not falling into, 'We're going to do eight episodes here and eight episodes there.' We'll be changing things up quite a bit and keeping people guessing. There's not going to be any set pattern that people are going to be able to recognize."

"The Walking Dead" returns in the fall.