He heard breathing on the other side, close to the door.
He heard a shout very close to his ear, and the firing stopped.
I heard my mother murmur something close to his ear.
"Yes," he said to her, hearing something very close to tears in his voice.
But then I heard a screaming, somewhere close to the old restaurant building.
He heard a noise nearby, down close to the ground.
And then I heard it: a scratching sound, close to my head.
He fell to the floor, hearing a hiss very close to his ear.
He heard an intake of breath, close to the door.