Fear the Walking Dead Introduces a Cult More Terrifying Than the Whisperers

Fear the Walking Dead finally introduces The End is the Beginning community, a threat even more terrifying than The Walking Dead's Whisperers.

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fear the Walking Dead Season 6, Episode 11, "The Holding," which aired Sunday on AMC.

Season 6, Episode 11, "The Holding," finally introduces the mysterious The End is the Beginning people that have been tormenting Virginia and the Fear the Walking Dead protagonists. After the attack on Tank Town, it was clear the hostile community meant business, although their exact motives were unclear. Now, thanks to an infiltration mission, the group realizes they are going against a doomsday cult. Upon discovering their intentions, the cult is absolutely terrifying, maybe even more so than the Whisperers on The Walking Dead.

The unnamed cult lives underground in what they call The Holding. At first glance, the setup is impressive. They have plentiful crops, electricity, plumbing and private bunks. Not to mention meals are prepped in a gourmet fashion. However, a voice recording of Teddy -- the cult's revered leader -- plays over an intercom, reminding members that "with death comes new life." To make things even stranger, The Holding centers a walker tied to a tree covered in vines. The unusual centerpiece is supposed to spark insight as each member tries to see it as Teddy does.

The whole situation is designed to brainwash, with Teddy seemingly luring new members with the prospect of shelter, safety and food. When Alicia, Luciana, Al and Wes infiltrate the community, posing as prospective members, they try the same techniques on them. Fear the Walking Dead's protagonists are told by Riley -- Teddy's second in command -- that they grind up walkers to make fertilizer for their crops and food for their chickens. Based on the premise of upcycling, it's not a bad idea; however, the group discovers there is more to the process than meets the eye.

Upon trying to escape, Riley captures the group. He brings them to an embalming room, threatening to kill them if they don't reveal Morgan's location. Thanks to Wes, the group flees again, barricading themselves in a back room filled with embalmed walkers. The preserved dead are hanging by their arms with their mouths clamped shut. They are fresh, implying the cult finds people to kill and embalms them to use later. In a way, the room is essentially their pantry.

Earlier in the episode, Wes crosses paths with his brother Derek. When Wes talks to him, trying to understand the cult's motivations, Derek explains it's to destroy everyone in the Top Side, aka above ground. As Teddy said over the intercom, "People will look around the world up there and see death everywhere they gaze, but that's not what's really there. If they looked hard enough, if they truly looked with open eyes, they would see life." With this in mind, Teddy maintains the belief that most Top Side people are hopeless because they look at things the "old way."

Although not much is known about the unnamed cult, it appears Teddy has brainwashed his members to be indifferent to death. This allows the community to grind up walkers without a second thought and kill innocent people under the impression that they cannot live without their end. The Whisperers were one of The Walking Dead's most sinister threats. However, they operated under a strict code, only getting involved with Alexandria and the other communities when they crossed into their territory. The rules were clear. The attacks motivated.

In contrast, Fear the Walking Dead's cult kills without provocation. They've turned their sights on Morgan and his group for no other reason than being alive above the surface. Now, "The End is the Beginning" graffiti has a much more terrifying message. As the cult's motto, it's clear the sentiment only applies to its members, who believe that everyone else must die for them to live.

Fear the Walking Dead stars Lennie James, Rubén Blades, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia, Maggie Grace, Garret Dillahunt, Jenna Elfman, Alexa Nisenson, Karen David, Austin Amelio, Mo Collins, Zoe Colletti and Christine Evangelista. New episodes air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on AMC.