Drake's Delicious

Wounded. The blood was seeping slowly from the bullet hole on his shoulder. He had seen worse, however. This was not the first time he'd been grazed and it would definitely not be the last. Nate had been everything from betrayed to being chased by mysterious yeti-like creatures. He had felt the hot sting of bullets on more than one occasion. The worst thing he had ever experienced, though, was this burning hunger. His stomach turned, growled and ached louder than the petty wound on his shoulder.

"No problem." He told himself through gritted teeth. With a weak movement, he stuck a shaky hand into the front pocket of his Calvin Klein jeans and found his thick leather wallet. Upon removing it, he peeled the cash slot open. Empty. Just like his stomach. Nate grimaced and remembered that he had a little less than ten dollars in his bank account. The last few adventures had not turned up anything good. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes. Would he ever eat a real meal again? He could always do fast food, but it just was not enough to quench his hunger. Dismal, he returned the empty shell to its home.

Nathan Drake put his hand on the nape of his neck, frustrated at his current situation. With no clue what else to do, he began to walk aimlessly down the empty street. As his feet wearily shuffled against the concrete sidewalk, he heard someone call his name in an unfamiliar voice. He looked up, agitated...until he discovered the source.

The voice was not a who – but a what! It was a brightly colored poster, decorated in vibrant lime greens and sunny yellows. On the foreground lay a beautiful black forest ham sandwich. This provided a moment of joy for Nate. That is, before he realized that there was no way he had enough money for it. He balled up his fist, ready to punch the traitorous poster. Before his fist met the paper, his eyes widened. New! Six inch sub meal deals for only five dollars! He felt a slight laugh escape his chapped lips before he backed away to get a better view of the angel.

With renewed hope, he ran down the street to the nearest Subway. Subway. Nate had heard of it before, but he never thought it would be something he would like. His heart thumped loudly and his stomach practically sang as he neared the restaurant. There was a fear in the back of his mind, though. Would they be open at this time? What if there was a catch? What if it was a trap? He managed to push all those fears away. The door was just before him.

There it was. Subway. His hand moved to touch the cool glass door. They were still open. He smiled before excitedly grabbing the handle of the door and pulled it open as quick as he could, ignoring the bleeding wound in his shoulder. He stepped in with a wide smile on his face that was met quickly by the freckled teenage boy behind the counter.

"Welcome to Subway, sir!"

Nate laughed a little before exclaiming, "I am happy to be here!"

Nate pulled himself over to the array of sandwich fixings and looked hopefully at the menu. A hand found his scraggly chin as he read his options. There were so many choices! How could it be an easy decision? That was when he saw the cold cut combo on the list. That was it. That was the one that would be his dinner.

"I will take the six inch cold cut combo on...Italian herb and cheese."

"All right, sir." The young boy turned to take the bread off of the shelf. He lay it down on the counter and sliced it in half before opening it. Carefully, he placed the pieces of meat on the tender bread. After this, he looked up to Nate. "What type of cheese would you like?"

This was great. He could not believe that he could customize his sandwich! Astounded, he found the word provolone and presented his decision to the Subway employee.

"Would you like that toasted?"

Something hot would be great. He was freezing from being in the cold winter wind all day. He agreed to the suggestion. After the beep of the toaster oven sounded, it was time to add the works. Nate was like a child in a candy store, pressing his hands against the protective glass and excitedly blurting out the names of various toppings. Onions, pickles, lettuce, banana peppers, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise! It was like a dream. Before he knew it, he was meeting the young man at the cash register.

"The meal deal comes with chips and a drink, if you would like to select some."

"Oh, boy!" Nate backed up to look at the broad variety of chips. There were some exotic flavors, like Sun Chips. He grimaced. Sounds like a chip that Sully would like. Though there were many new flavors he could try, he decided to go with a classic sour cream and onion. As for a drink? He was leaning toward a classic in that area, too. He selected a coke.

"All right. That will be five dollars and fourty-five cents."

Nate smugly slid his debit card. The angels sang as he saw that it was approved. The young man handed Nate his receipt, which he quickly shoved in his back pocket. It was time to eat. He accepted his reward from the employee and waltzed over to a nearby table. The next moments would ring clear in Nate's memory for the rest of his days.

He gingerly lifted the sandwich out of the basket, careful not to damage the goods. He was nervous and excited all at the same time. His jaw unhinged to take in the prize. Crunch. The first bite was amazing. He took it all in; the flavor of the combined meats, the sweet crunch of the onions and pickles, the tang of the banana peppers, the crispness of the fresh lettuce and the moist deliciousness of the mayonnaise. Nate chased it with a refreshing gulp of soda. As he swallowed the harmonious bite, he knew only one thing.

This is heaven.