The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind it

Rena felt as though her ears had been covered by a heavy layer of something. She couldn't hear anything clearly and when she touched her ears, she felt a layer of sticky blood. It was only after some time that she could faintly hear the sound of her own heavy breathing which finally managed to pierce through that layer.

The faint star in the sky was still in the same spot. It had not faded and she could still see it through the gap between the debris. Rena struggled and pushed away the concrete slab that was over her.

There was a sharp, broken steel reinforcement bar sticking out from that concrete slab. If it was a few inches closer, it would have stabbed into her face. Rena gasped for air as she crawled out from under the debris. She mentally prepared herself, knowing that her body would collapse at any minute. However, after she walked two steps, she realized that the bleeding from her abdomen had somehow stopped.