It’s going to be a long few months while we wait for the second half of The Walking Dead’s fourth season to return, but series creator Robert Kirkman has at least dropped some hints as to what we can expect next year.

In a chat with TV Guide, Kirkman dropped three major tidbits about what fans will see when the series returns on Feb. 9. Though it sounds like the back half of season four will continue to diverge from the comics (to a degree), it should at least give fans a few things they’ve been wanting.

Namely: Carol’s (Melissa McBride) return, which should be interesting in the aftermath of the prison; more info on that mysterious radio signal Daryl and Michonne picked up a while back; and some flashbacks (Michonne?!) to before the group got together. Yeah, we'll be sticking around.

Here’s how TV Guide’s Natalie Abrams recapped it all:

“I pumped Robert Kirkman for some scoop on the second half of the season and he offered up three interesting tidbits: 1) Carol will definitely return before the end of the season; 2) The Sanctuary, which was discussed in that radio message, will come into play; and 3) Via flashbacks, there will be glimpses into the lives of our favorite characters, likely including Michonne to get an answer about this.”

All these story lines are ripe for exploration, and it’ll definitely be interesting to see what the deal is with the weird radio signal. It could be a nice twist to introduce some familiar storylines from the comic, or a complete divergence altogether, a la the CDC plot in season one. We can’t wait to find out.

What do you want to see most from the rest of season four?

(Via TV Guide)