He wondered through the snow, shot, cold and beaten. He had just taken out a group of Flynn's soldiers, but he knew none of that would matter now. Nathan Drake, famous treasure hunter and ladies man, found himself in the depths of the frozen wilderness. He knew the risk. He knew by jumping on that train and attempting to save Chloe's life would cost him his own. He was lucky, lucky enough, but then met the hands of Flynn and his gun. He was able to escape from the man, but made it out with a bullet wound to the waist. He managed to flee the train before it plunged deep down into the treacherous pit. Drake was now alone, bleak, wounded and alone.
As Nathan continued to push through the harsh conditions of the swirling storm, his memories started to flash before him, memories he had nearly forgotten but hadn't. He remembered the day when he was first welcomed to the world. He remembered when Cassandra and his father were so happy to become parents. The look on the couple's faces was just remarkable. Nothing could destroy their unbreakable smiles.
Yes, it was a happy day for the Drakes, until Cassandra, who was filled with grief and neglect, committed suicide only five years later. He remembered the look on her face, how peaceful she'd looked as he walked into the room. He remembered screaming, "DAD! DAD! COME QUICK!" in sight of his mother's corpse, in which Sam and Mr. Drake sooner came upon. He cried with his brother and father, not knowing how they would be able to live without her.
It was a terrible day for the Drakes, and it was even more terrible after Mr. Drake decided to give his sons up to foster care. Nathan didn't know what to think of his father after this. He thought he could see the true heart and kindness that was within him, but the only thing true about the man was how selfish and cruel he was to both him and his brother.
But besides that memory, Nathan thought of others as well. He thought about the time when he met his friend and most trusted ally Sullivan and the love of his life, Elena Fisher. Both of them were so significant. They were the only two people who ever stuck with Nate during the most disastrous circumstances. Sully, who has now reached the age of his 50s, was not only his mentor, but was a father-like figure to him as well. Victor knew that Nathan had been on the run throughout his enter life. He couldn't stand to see the kid be hunted and taken back to that awful orphanage, so he decided to take Nathan in and made him one of his most trusted contacts. Nate will never forget that day, neither would Sullivan.
And then there was Elena. The beautiful, blond headed journalist who always had her nose stuck up in a camera. He didn't know what to think of her at first, other than she would help him in his search for his long lost ancestor Sir Francis Drake. She was always a peculiar young woman, not knowing what others would think of her as she was afraid of making one little mistake that would have her face spread out through across the world. Even though their relationship didn't quite work out, Nathan knew that she was the one, the one who he would propose to and marry as soon as they had returned from Nepal. But there is no time for that now, nor would there be any hope. The two had been separated from each other once Nate took that leap toward the train. Now he would never find her, as she wouldn't him.
Nathan continued to drag his feet through the snow. His body grew weak and exhausted from the icy blizzard. And there wouldn't be any chance for warmth or sunlight when it came to the great snowy mountains.
"Come on, Drake… Get it together…" he whispered to himself. His legs began to wobble as if he could just shrivel up and melt into a glob of jelly. But Nathan knew he couldn't stop there, he needed to have faith and the will to move forward. He pushed through the swirling winds and marched through the deep snow with all of his strength. His closed his eyes the entire way, wanting to avoid having them filled with snow.
"That's it… Come on now…" he mumbled. He paused for a moment and glanced at his hands. His palms were frozen and his fingers succumbed to frostbite. This was it. This was the moment that Nathan Drake would meet his end. But Drake didn't want to give up, he wanted to keep pushing. He continued to move throughout the storm before falling down into a deep pile of snow. Nathan attempted to get up, but failed. His body has now given out and he could no longer move.
Nathan turned on his side, crying and moaning with pain. He opened his eyes as wide as possible with his journal in his right hand and a gun on the left. His vision began to blur as he stared up at the sky. Images from his life began to fast forward into brain. His birthdays, when he was arrested, all of them. Not a single one he was missing.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he cried. He was talking to his companions. Even though they weren't with him at the time, he could still see the sadness and disappoint in their eyes. Nathan knew he was going to die alone, but at least he had the final thoughts of his friends show up in his mind.
As Nate stared up into the sky, he saw two figures light up from the distance. One of them was a woman. Her blues eyes and curled up hair was what made him take notice. Nathan couldn't tell who the woman was until her appearance made him remember. It was his mother. She looked so happy and jubilant without having the mark of bullet wound near the side of her head.
"M-Mom…?" he murmured, "I-Is it really you…?" he asked, very weak.
"Yes, Nathan, it's me. But don't forget about him, too." she said. She put her hands on the shoulders of the man standing next to her. It was Jeff. The friendly cameraman who Drake attempted to save back at the temple. He did everything he could to help him, until the violent and ruthless war criminal, Zoran Lazarević, pulled out his weapon and took away his life without hesitation.
"Hey, Nate. You didn't forget about me, did ya?" he said. Nate smiled in remark of this. Though he only knew Jeff for a little while, he thought of him as a friend and would've done anything in his power to protect him.
Cassandra and Jeff. They both were important to Nathan and yet they died so tragically. And, in less than a few moments, he too would die a tragic death. Nate looked up at the both of them and smiled. Although they were dead and long gone, he had the chance to see them one last time before his world would soon fade to black.
"We're here for you, Nathan." said Cassandra, "We'll never leave you again."
"Yeah, Nate. We'll always be here for you, buddy." added Jeff. Nate's began to weep even more. Tears fled down from his eyes to across his face. But they weren't tears of sorrow, they were tears of joy. He would leave this heartless, cruel world and join those he's loved in the afterlife.
"I… I'm coming guys…" he said, growing breathless. "I… I'm coming…" And with that, Nathan took his last breath and died peacefully in the snow.
He may have survived assassins and many battles, but Drake was no match for this one. Although Nate is dead, he will be remembered as a legend and a hero who did whatever it took to do what was right. There were many days to be memorized, and there were many downfalls to be forgotten, but on this day, history was made. This was the day that brought the end of a storied daredevil. This day marked the death of Nathan Drake…