'The Walking Dead:' Are Rick and Tara infected?

"The Walking Dead" Season 8 Episode 13 titled: "Do Not Send Us Astray" ended on a cliffhanger as both Tara and Rick's fates are uncertain following the battle at Hilltop. Tara got wounded by Dwight's arrow, as seen in the episode. Rick's wound, on the other hand, is a mystery, as we don't know whether he was wounded in his clash with Negan, or in this episode's battle.

With that in mind, it is only logical that "The Walking Dead" fans are concerned about the fates of these two series regulars, especially when one of them is the main character.

So are they infected? Are they going to die? Read on and you'll find out. Be careful, though, because the comic book spoilers will follow. So without further ado, let's first talk about Tara, and then catch up on Rick's situation.

Tara's fate

Tara is not by any means, a fan favorite character at the moment. She is obsessed with killing Dwight, even though the guy just wants to help her group. Sure, he was once a part of the enemy group, but so was she. You know, a couple of seasons ago when she was with the Governor.

Nowhere was this obsession more evident than in episode 11 where she came so close to killing him.

Maybe she would have if it wasn't for the Saviors, who showed up out of nowhere. Then, Dwight proved once again where his allegiance lies, saving not only Tara but the people of Alexandria who were too tired to fight.

But as it turned out, that Tara-Dwight feud was just a foreshadowing of what would happen only a few episodes later during the battle at the Hilltop. We've all seen that Dwight shot Tara with an arrow, but he did so, just to stop Simon from shooting her with a gun. But given the fact that the wounded people got infected and turned into walkers, it stands to reason that Tara is living on borrowed time.

Well, that all depends on whether or not Dwight covered his arrows in walker guts. But if they choose to follow "The Walking Dead" comics, Tara should be just fine.

The thing is that they mixed things up a little. Tobin got Nicholas' death from the comics, and Tara found herself in practically the same situation as Rick. So if the comics are any guide, Tara will think that she will die, but ultimately she won't because Dwight's arrows were not covered in walker guts. But if that's the case, what about Rick and his wound?

What will happen to Rick?

Well, obviously Rick is not going to die, as Andrew Lincoln already confirmed that he will resume his role in "The Walking Dead" Season 9. But he might as well suffer an infection.

Remember Rick's "my mercy prevails over my wrath" flashforward? When they first showed it in the season 8 premiere, everyone thought that Rick's eyes were red because he was grieving over the loss of someone important.

And when Carl died, the fans thought they finally got the answer to this mysterious flashforward. But then they showed it again, along with that scene of wounded Rick against the tree, and fans got confused again. The scene obviously has to happen near the end of "All Out War," but why would his eyes be red? Is it because he will remember his son? Or is it something else?

It is my belief that Rick's eyes are red because he is going to be suffering from the eye infection, caused by walker guts, just like Father Gabriel. Because you see, despite the fact that Carl's dying wish was for his father to spare Negan, Rick is still obsessed with killing Negan. So it has to be something that will ultimately change his mind.

Because, remember, Negan has to survive, as that was the whole point of killing Carl off in the first place.

Sure, Rick finding out in the future episodes that Simon was actually the one who killed the entire garbage group without Negan's knowledge or consent could do the trick. But it has to be something else. I believe that it will be Rick's near-death experience that will ultimately change his mind about killing Negan.

What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.