Summary:

The trees nearby burst into fire. John stumbled, blinded by the sudden light. He started to run toward the clearing he had seen, but as he got closer, the softer the dirt beneath him got until he was standing in a pile of mud. The more strenuously he tried to get out of the mud, the stronger the mud’s grip on him became.
The fire was getting closer. When John was almost waist high in mud, a figure of a man appeared from the fire’s shadow.
“Help me, please!”, John screamed. “Please!”
  But the man simply stared and smiled. Now shoulder high with the sinking earth, John pleaded, “Please for the love of God help me!”
The man didn't even blink. It was as if he was void of all emotion.
“I don't want to d…” John’s sentence was cut short by the mud entering his mouth and filling his lungs.