Oops. If the social-media post that fans screen-grabbed is to be believed, General Hospital accidentally dropped its teaser for the Tuesday, Jan. 7, episode early. And ordinarily, that might not be a big deal. But in this case, it’s ginormous, as it reveals the way that Chad Duell will be leaving the soap!

Apparently, Sonny’s penthouse goes up in flames — and Michael with it. Though Jason, as per the requirements of his job as protector of the Corinthos family, rushes into the blaze in hopes of saving Carly and A.J.’s son, Michael is “completely engulfed.”

If the tease is, in fact, the one that ABC’s only daytime drama intended to release next week, it’s safe to assume that no body will be recovered — and if one is, it won’t be Michael’s. That way, should the Emmy winner decide to reprise his role, Michael’s miraculous comeback can be explained away without Port Charles adding another zombie to its population.

In late December, Duell explained the impetus for his departure. “This break… there’s a few things behind it. As people know, my dad passed away, and I’m still coming to terms with that, and also, my intention was to spend some time back in Arizona, but that’s becoming a little harder to do,” given that his significant Luana Lucci is attending school in L.A. and their son Dawson’s daycare is in California.

“Right now, I’m just more about doing things mentally, physically, preparing myself for whatever comes… next chapters,” he continued. “We’ll see what happens in the future, but right now I’m just trying to grow in ways that maybe I stifled myself. Sometimes you have to… make yourself feel uncomfortable to take a step… That’s the journey at this moment.”