The X-Files creator Chris Carter is headed back to serialized television for Amazon.com's next pilot season of original video programming with The After, a mid-apocalyptic drama that follows eight strangers thrown together as a result of an apocalypse-level event. Fans are understandably anticipating the pilot's release, and Entertainment Weekly has released the first clip (later posted by Wired.com) of the series online.

The clip centers in on a crowded city street as a woman tries to get a police officer's attention amidst the chaos of gridlock, shattering windows and mysterious helicopter crashes. The clip only gives a taste of what the pilot will have to offer, raising more questions about the series than it actually answers. It's very likely more information will be available as Amazon approaches its second digital pilot season -- though subscribers to Amazon Prime can view the pilot right now.

"I’m very superstitious about talking about what I’m working on before it’s finished, and it’s more fun if it’s kept a mystery! So let me just say that this is a show that explores human frailty, possibility, terror, and the triumph of the human spirit," Carter said at the series' announcement in 2013. "I’m so excited to be telling this story with Amazon in this new frontier of television."

Amazon's previous pilot season included a pilot based on the popular Zombieland film, which did not go to series. The pilot season format sees users vote on which pilots they would like to see get a full series order. The studio has announced that this season will include 10 series pilots: five geared toward adults and five toward children.

Written by Carter, The After stars Sharon Lawrence, Jamie Kennedy, Aldis Hodge, Andrew Howard, Arielle Kebbel, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Adrian Pasdar and Louise Monot. The full pilot is currently available to view for Amazon Prime subscribers.