The Walking Dead offers up a little hope amid the increasingly grim zombie apocalypse. A little.

In this newly released midseason return trailer for the hit AMC series, tempered optimism threads the entire promo with the words "BEYOND FEAR" and "FIND HOPE" emblazoned on the screen as the action builds to a climax.

Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) continues a solid record of grizzled-fortune-cookie leadership as he deliver bittersweet pep talks like "We do what we need to do and then we get to live" and "I know we'll be okay because this is how we survive."




Katana-wielding Michonne (Danai Gurira) wraps up the promo by asking direly, "Don't you want one more day with a chance?"

Among the exhausted, diminishing group of survivors, nearly anyone could be the hopeless recipient of Michonne's plea.

Case in point: Fan favorite Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) remains typically tacit throughout the promo – no surprise since he's freshly mourning the loss of his friend Beth (Emily Kinney).

The Walking Dead premieres Sunday, Feb. 8 (9 p.m. ET) on AMC.