Skinless

"It's amazing." the old man said from outside my sack. "Any human you put in this much pain would suffer permanent mental disorders."

"And the food requirement?" came a younger, mirthless voice. Military. Stern. "How much does this abomination eat?"

Older man chuckled. "That's the glory of it; he can eat things that we humans can't. He gets just enough nutrition to survive, but not enough to heal. And it doesn't cost us a single piece of food."

"Is it still dangerous?"

"Oh, no, sir. It's in far too much pain right now. It probably doesn't recognize that we're even here."

There was a swift kick to where my tail met the base of my spine. "It knows we're here now."

"Perhaps not. Did you hear a scream?"

There was a kick to the underside of my jaw, another that sought my groin. "That's not natural."