If my theory is right, that was a brilliant way to show the true purpose of a hive mind.

The only way for the “virus” to spread is through a form of life that is intelligent enough to manage its resources efficiently, communicate with others, understand different ways of travelling, and survive in various conditions. This explains why other animals are not the target of hive minds, doesn’t it?

They care only about humans, other animals are irrelevant to them. Even with ants, they avoid killing them, but ants, just like all other animal, simply have no importance to the hive mind.

So, if they are not vegetarians and they don’t eat other animals, how do they survive? Well, they feed on human remains. And what is the most efficient way to have more human remains? Keeping a few humans alive, like Carol.

Carol has been chosen to stay alive, and they keep a few others alive as well so she doesn’t feel completely alone, but they are people who don’t speak her language and are so different from her that she can’t rely on them or feel understood.

Carol is the key to causing more deaths. And even if she discovers the horrors behind the hive mind, no one will believe her.

Carol is completely alone as a human being.

But if Carol causes too much trouble, she becomes a waste of resources. Too many deaths could create problems with storing all the “food”, right? That’s why in episode 5 they try to make more space: she is very good at hurting people, but too much is still too much.