This is no time to be selfish. You decide it is best for you and Tom to work together and get him out first. So you grab him by the upper left arm and assist him in freeing himself from the bog as best you can. At the same time you also hold on to the edge with the other hand to keep yourself from sinking. He attempts to somehow wiggle himself out of the bog and onto the green moss several times, but the plantlife is more fragile than you have hoped and it just keeps falling apart. Instead of getting out of the mire he settles in a little deeper and is now down to his armpits in the morass. You try harder, sinking yourself down to your neck and pressing down harder on the part of the edge you are holding onto. It seems you at least manage to stop Tom's descend, but he still is unable to drag himself out. All he accomplishes is not to sink deeper while destroying more and more of the moss carpet within his reach. You try to offer some helpful advice in addition to your helping hand: "Try it slower, more carefully!" He does as you say and slowly pulls himself up to his chest, then breaks through again and quickly sinks down until his shoulders are gone. "This isn't working either." Tom says and reverts back to his eariler tactic. For a moment your attention returns to your own situation. You find yourself slipping deeper and the edge you are holding onto is crumbling apart. Your left hand feels for a more reliable piece of greenery. It only takes a few seconds until you find it and pull yourself up to neck-deep again, then you resume assisting your boyfriend. In the minutes that follow you go through this procedure several times, until at last Tom concedes: "We have to think of something else. I don't have anything to hold onto anymore here." There are just little floating bits and pieces of moss and grass within his reach now. He is down to his neck and sinking steadily. All his attempts to grab the now distant edge are futile. You are only a little better off, also neck-deep but at least the moss matrass is not entirely integrated on your side. You are still holding on and now trying to reel your boyfriend in closer: "I've got you, just let me pull you over here, Tom." That is harder than you have hoped it would be. The morass may not be capable of supporting a person's weight but that does not mean it will allow someone to glide through it without effort either. You try and try, but your boyfriend merely sinks down to his chin without getting any closer to you. To get a better grip on the edge you dig into it with your hand until it is well-anchored in. "Amy, don't. You should rescue yourself. You can't help me anymore." Tom says in a sad low tone. The thought that he might die here like that makes you angry both at yourself and at him for even suggesting it: "No way! I'm not leaving you here to die!" You strain yourself pulling harder now than before. Tom is slowly getting closer - just an inch every other second. Too late you notice that the edge is getting closer too, and no, you are not moving either way the whole time. You come to realize that as you rip out a large piece of it, made of earth and roots garnished with some grass and moss on top of it. Naturally you let go of the now useless chunk and look for another patch to grab, but there is nothing left. Briefly you and Tom exchange shocked glances. The mud is now climbing is cheeks and also reaching for you chin. He suggests: "I can try to push you forward, maybe you can grab hold again.", but you know it is futile. "Too late, Tom. Too late." you reply with a sad soft voice. Then you resume pulling him in closer, with both hands now. He starts pulling likewise. Without another word you start kissing him as soon as you can, and before his face would be gone under mud. Tom hugs you in turn and you both sink deeper into the quivering blackness. You both interrupt your kissing only for an instant to draw in one last deep breath, before you submerge. All becomes dark, there are only a few muffled sounds but you do not pay attention to them. You entirely focus on your lover's embrace and kiss until the very end.