Book four in the internationally bestselling Escape from Furnace series that has captivated millions of readers worldwide. Teenager Alex Sawyer has finally broken out of the deadly underground prison, Furnace Penitentiary, but the nightmare is far from over. “A thrill ride that will leave the audience wanting more . . . Downright terrifying.” ― VOYA (on Solitary ) “Fresh and ferocious.” ―James Patterson (on Lockdown ) “Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun!” ―Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series (on Lockdown ) “The Stephen King of YA horror.” ― The Book Zone Forever altered by his experience in Furnace Penitentiary, Alex has done the impossible and escaped. But the battle for freedom is only just beginning. Charged with his superhuman abilities, Alex must uncover the last of Furnace’s secrets―the truth about the man who built the prison, the man known as Alfred Furnace. And to do that he must stop running and finally confront his greatest fears. Expertly blending elements of horror, dystopia, and thriller, Alexander Gordon Smith delivers an action-packed, bone-chilling, and genre-defying must-read that grabs you from the first page and never lets go―perfect for fans of The Maze Runner . READ THE ENTIRE ESCAPE FROM FURNACE SERIES: ● Lockdown (Book 1) ● Solitary (Book 2) ● Death Sentence (Book 3) ● Fugitives (Book 4) ● Execution (Book 5) “Fresh and ferocious . . . Will hook boys with its gritty, unrelenting surprises.” ― James Patterson “Furnace is hotter than hell and twice as much fun! Sign me up for a life sentence of Alexander Gordon Smith!” ― Darren Shan, author of the Demonata series “Uniquely horrifying.” ― Realms of Fantasy “Gritty action and compelling characters will have reluctant readers enthralled.” ― School Library Journal “Breathlessly paced and soaked with blood, mucus, and less savory substances. . . . Readers who relish lurid imagery . . . will continue to be riveted and left eager for the next disgust-o-rama episode.” ― Booklist “A thrill ride that will leave the audience wanting more. Smith's prose is fast paced, witty, and sometimes downright terrifying. Some of the images he creates could manifest into a nightmare or two. Teens who are looking for a great thriller/horror story will definitely want to pick up these novels.” ― VOYA “My biggest success story last year was when a student, a fifth year senior, attended a booktalk and couldn't wait to read Lockdown . It was the first book he read all the way through in five years of high school. I was privileged to get the galley from a conference for Solitary and gave it to him. I told him to keep the book--in less than a week he returned it to me in pristine condition and wanted more.” ― Librarian, Washington High School, Sioux Falls, SD Alexander Gordon Smith lives in Norwich, England. "The Stephen King of YA horror," he is the author of The Fury; The Inventors; the Escape from Furnace series, which has sold nearly half-a-million copies; and the Devil's Engine series. Fugitives Escape from Furnace 4 By Alexander Gordon Smith Square Fish Copyright © 2012 Alexander Gordon Smith All right reserved. ISBN: 9781250003393 HAPPY EVER AFTER   I WISH I COULD TELL YOU that my story ended here. I wish I could tell you that this was my happy ever after. Because it should have been, right? I mean, we were out. We’d been to hell and back but the important thing was that we had made it back. We’d slit open the belly of Furnace Penitentiary, spilled its guts all over the streets. It was dead, and we’d been born again, taking our first steps in a world we thought we’d lost forever. It had to be over. This had to be the end of it. All we had to do was run for the hills and live out the rest of our lives on fresh air and freedom. But can a story like mine ever have a happy ending? Does somebody like me ever deserve one? There wasn’t much time for looking back as we ran from the broken gates, ushered on by the blinding brightness of the rising sun. But I couldn’t help it. Even as the sound of the siren faded into birdsong my mind replayed everything that had happened. I don’t know why, exactly. All I wanted to do was forget it, put everything behind me, pretend that it had never happened. But Furnace wasn’t going to let me. I may have found a way out of the prison but the prison was still buried deep inside my head, locked in every thought, every memory. I pictured myself as a kid, walking streets just like these a lifetime ago, so obsessed with money that I didn’t care that I was a thief, a bully. I saw myself and Toby—a friend whose face I could no longer picture but who I would never forget—breaking into a house, hoping that we’d strike it rich. I saw us being cornered by the blacksuits, Furnace’s hulking guards with their cruel silver eyes. I watched them shoot Toby in the head, the same way I’d watched it a hundred times before; a thousand. I saw myself framed