It was just after midnight when Ella arrived home from a night out with the girls. The night was quiet except for the sound of her own footsteps, and a small breeze rustling the leaves. As she reached her apartment door, she felt a strange chill, the kind that makes you glance over your shoulder when you feel someone is watching you. She fumbled with her keys, the metal jingling nervously in her hand. Just as the key turned in the lock and the door cracked open, something moved behind her—a blur of motion.

A man sprang from the shadows and slammed her to the floor. He hissed and growled like an animal, his eyes wild and unfocused. “I need your blood,” he said before trying to bite Ella's neck. Terrified but determined, Ella fought back, kicking and clawing until she managed to break free. She bolted into the parking lot, screaming for help. The vampire followed, fast on her heels. Lucky for her, a friend who was pulling up saw her and yelled for her to jump in the car. As Ella slammed the door shut, the attacker pounded on the car, shrieking, as the two women sped away to safety.

Sound like a Hollywood movie? It’s a true story. When police arrived minutes later, they found the man, Tom Stratton, standing in the parking lot in his underwear and howling at the moon. When he saw the officers, the crazed man begged them to restrain him. “I have no ill will to the human race,” he said. “I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I’m a vampire—I need the blood.”

Sitting in a jail cell, Tom began to come to himself. His body trembled, his head ached. His arms were scratched and bleeding. “What happened?” he thought. “Why am I here?” He looked lost, confused, horrified. Tom had never been in trouble before. The police came and told Tom what he had done. Tom was shocked. He had no memory of the attack at all—the entire event was a complete blackout.

Earlier that night, Tom was at a party, having innocent fun with friends. Music played, people chatted and laughed. He remembered filling his red plastic cup with punch. After a few sips, he remembers feeling lightheaded. His heart began to race; the room seemed to turn into a dark dungeon. People around him began to look like creatures from another world. He remembers running out of the party. After that, his memory was blank.

After hearing his story, the police sent investigators to the party apartment. They discovered that someone had spiked the party punch with Rohypnol, a drug that erases memory and distorts reality.