Amber Brackney and her father had no idea that night could have been the last one they were seen alive.
Normal Family
Amber Brackney was like any other small town teenager. She was heavily involved with school, had a number of close friends, and liked to spend time with her father, Terry. Amber was only 17, however, when her whole life could have been altered forever.
Average Night
One night, Amber was driving back to her home in Baker Florida. She was a few hundred feet away from the house when she saw something unusual in the middle of the road…
Tired From Work
Amber had just spent the night working a shift at a local restaurant as a waitress. She was exhausted and couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. However, once Amber saw what was in front of her, she knew it might not be that easy.
Blockade
Amber’s headlights cast a beam on a row of barrels and garbage cans that were sitting in the road, blocking the way. She furrowed her brow. Why would someone set up a makeshift blockade in the middle of the night?
Questions
Amber called her father, Terry, and said someone had put barrels in the middle of the road to block it off. “Well, they weren’t there when I came home so just drive around them,” he said.
Following Directions
Amber felt uneasy about the situation, but there wasn’t much else to do besides drive around the barrels. She pulled off the road toward the woods and circled around them.
Arriving Home
A few minutes later, Amber was home. She and her father lived alone in a large house. Amber had taken up a part-time job and often came home late on the nights she worked.
Saying Goodnight
Amber still felt like something wasn’t right about the random blockade in the middle of the road, but she decided to brush off her concerns and hit the pillow. She said goodnight to her dad and went straight to bed…
Late Night
Terry, Amber’s father, often stayed up long after Amber went to bed. He owned a clothing store and a funeral home in town, so many people knew of the Brackneys for their businesses.
Strange Feeling
Terry was reading in the living room when the family dogs began to bark. Terry found this unusual; his dogs were usually quiet unless there was a stranger present.
Relentless
Twenty minutes passed and his dogs were still barking. Terry couldn’t figure out what was making them act so out of character. That’s when he noticed a motion sensor outdoor light turn on…
Something Wasn’t Right
Terry felt a chill run down his spine. The light had never turned on by itself before. He didn’t want to wake Amber and worry her, but he knew something wasn’t right.
The Garage
Terry’s dogs had gathered around the door that led out to the garage and were barking furiously. At a loss, Terry felt he had no other choice but to grab his gun from the safe…
Going to Look
Terry’s heart was racing. He would do anything to protect his daughter. If there was an intruder, they were going to have another thing coming.
Worst Nightmare
Amber’s father slowly crept outside, gun in hand. He heard noises and hushed whispers coming from the front of his house near the garage.
Intruders
When Terry saw what was happening, he felt a surge of adrenaline rush through him. There, right in front of him, two men were trying to break into his garage.
Shots Fired
Terry began to shout at them, brandishing his gun. He fired three shots and the intruders took off running into the words. Terry’s ears were ringing when he ran back inside to call the police.
Terrified
Terry dialed 911 and soon enough, the authorities arrived at his home. Amber had woken up and was white as a ghost.
Into the Woods
Police scoured the woods for the men who had tried to break into their home…
Caught
Police managed to locate and subdue the suspects. However, when their identities were revealed, Amber immediately recognized them—and felt sick to her stomach.
Kidnapping
The people who had tried to break into the Brackneys’ house were four teenage boys—one of whom Amber had known since they were little children.
Disbelief
“I can even remember him coming over to my house and playing as a little child,” Amber said.
Old Friends
She knew they had grown apart since their childhood, but she never expected something like this. That’s when Amber learned, to her horror, what police had found in their car.
Terrible Reality
Authorities recovered guns, knives, and duct tape from the boys’ car, as well as face masks and dark clothing. “I see these kids every day walking down the hallway,” Amber added. “I never expected them to try to attempt to kidnap me and harm me and do such a thing to my family.”
Scary Movie
When Amber first saw the barrels and garbage cans blocking the road when she got home, she knew something was off. “I automatically thought this is something that would happen in a scary movie,” she said, especially after hearing what the boys had planned to do to her.
Sick Plan
The armed teenagers had concocted a plan to kidnap Amber and inflict violence upon her if she didn’t lead them into her home. “The goal was first to force her out of her car by blocking the road with barrels and garbage cans,” said the local police force…
False Assumptions
The boys then planned to head back to the Brackneys’ house, confront Terry, and subdue him by any means necessary. They believed him to be wealthy and wanted to burgle their home. Terry said he had no idea why the teens thought he was well-off or targeted him specifically.
Secluded Life
“I own a funeral home and a clothing store here in town,” he said. “The community has been very good to me over the years, and I lead a secluded life—or I did up until this point.” Amber now sees her father in a new light thanks to his bravery.
Hero
“I’m very grateful for my dad,” Amber said. “I don’t really have a mom in my life, so my dad is my hero, you could say.” However, she has a long road to recovery from the trauma of the near-fatal incident.
Healing
“I’m scared to sleep in my own bedroom, I’m scared to go my own school,” Amber said. “That shouldn’t be a thing. We’re a small town.” Thankfully, Amber knows her father will always be there to protect her, and they will always have one another on the journey to healing from what could have been a deadly night for them both.