Its very title provides a hint at its mortality and high rate of turnover, but there’s an undeniable shadow hanging over the upcoming 10th season of The Walking Dead, which returns on October 6. It will the first for the post-apocalyptic horror TV show without erstwhile series lead Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln). For returning primary cast members like Norman Reedus, that has meant some adjustments.

“It’s funny because I talked to him last night on the phone, he’s in London, and I said, ’It’s so weird here to be here at Comic-Con without you, because I don’t know where to charge my room service bills,’” said Reedus with a laugh during a visit to the HFPA’s Comic-Con lounge yesterday. “Everything I charged always went on his room tab — like, thousands of dollars. I’ve just always won that battle. And he goes, ‘I want to tell you that’s the sole reason I left the show.’”

Switching gears, Reedus also got reflective and serious. “Andy and I were just instantly brothers on that show — we really supported and pushed each other,” he continued. “I watched him grow, he watched me grow. I taught him how to ride motorcycles, and he taught me how to play backgammon. We were always together, so I miss him.”

In the absence of both Lincoln and Grimes, Reedus notes fans will see his character, Daryl Dixon, evolve, even more, filling a leadership vacuum. “I’m pretty much cleaning up other people’s messes and trying not to let the place fall apart,” he shared. “New people have come into the group who don’t trust us, and we’ve taken them in but we haven’t had the time to get to know them well enough where we can trust them. So they come in and are stealing things and lying, and it’s complete chaos. I mean, it’s really good TV, but for Daryl, it’s a nightmare. I’ve always been my own man on that show. Some people have followed me or listened to my advice — they’ve looked to me for leadership, and I reluctantly led them. Now I’m kind of doing it on purpose.”