Rupture-ready

Sipe held his hands up.  Empty hands.  Look.  Look how empty they are.  Moving slowly.  Closing in on the jittery squirrel.  Tiffany sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.  Her face so darkly pink he thought of fruit gone bad, rupture-ready at a touch. 

(The Lipless Gods, Chapter 14)